Liberal leader sworn in as Luxembourg PM

Liberal leader Xavier Bettel was sworn in Wednesday as Luxembourg prime minister, replacing 19-year veteran Jean-Claude Juncker to head a coalition government with the Socialists and Greens.

Bettel, 40, and his coalition partners took the oath of office in the presence of Grand Duc Henri, head of the small wealthy country nestled between Belgium, Germany and France.

Veteran Socialist leader Jean Asselborn keeps the foreign minister post he held under Juncker while Liberal Pierre Garmegna is the new finance minister.

Socialist Etienne Schneider was named as deputy premier to Bettel.

Juncker was one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, having become premier in 1995, while his Christian Social People’s party (CSV) held power for all but five years since 1944.

He also played a key international role as head of the eurozone finance ministers group.

In elections last month, the CSV won the biggest share of the vote, 33.6 percent, and the largest number of seats — 23 out of 60.

Bettel’s Liberals however took 13 seats, the Socialists 13 and the Greens six to give them a majority of 32.