"At some point, enough is enough"

When we meet Nadine Braconnier on a very sunny afternoon at the cultural centre in Clemency, she is, and even we notice it, a little nervous. Not because of us, but because she is about to conduct her very first wedding as mayor. Nevertheless, the conversation with the CSV politician is more than relaxed.

Lëtzebuerger Journal: We heard that you originally wanted to become a journalist. What would you ask the new mayor of Käerjeng if you were a journalist?

Nadine Braconnier: (laughs and thinks for a while) Probably something along the lines of being mayor is a huge responsibility and why I believe I'd be up to the job.

And why?

I've always enjoyed taking on responsibility in my life. I was class representative at school. I've always wanted to have a say in decisions and that has been the case throughout my life. When I started working at the municipality, I wanted to become the municipal secretary straight away. I always wanted to be the boss, to shape things.

Then you are the opposite of us, who preferred to sit in the back row undisturbed at school, but let's get to the actual interview: It must annoy you to no end that you are still seen first and foremost as Michel Wolter's wife, without whom, as is repeatedly pointed out, you would never have become mayor. The fact that you were only elected fourth in the 2023 local elections and have never been on a local council – since, according to the law, the two spouses cannot be on the same local council – must not necessarily have helped you.

Of course, this is always mentioned first…

… which is somehow normal…

That may be the case, but I don't think it's seen that way here in Käerjeng. I also didn't expect this election result. After all, I came fourth in my first election.

The question was, how annoyed are you that people assume that you wouldn't have made it to the top of your municipality without your husband?

I can understand people's reaction, but at some point, enough is enough.