Meisch ran for the Chamber of Deputies, to represent the
South Constituency, in the
1999 general election. He finished sixth amongst DP candidates, with the top four being elected. However, the election saw the DP become
kingmakers, giving them enough leverage over the
Christian Social People's Party (CSV) to allow them to appoint seven Democratic deputies, including
Henri Grethen and
Eugène Berger, to the
new government. Grethen insisted that Berger be appointed along with him, specifically so that Meisch could enter the Chamber. With Grethen and Berger required to vacate their seats to take up their government positions, Meisch filled in the gap and entered the Chamber of Deputies on 12 August 1999. The result was bad for the DP across the country, losing five seats and seeing them replaced as the
Christian Social People's Party's (CSV) coalition partners by the LSAP. After the election,
Lydie Polfer resigned as party president, having served the term limit imposed by the party's statutes. Meisch was the only candidate put forward to replace her, and recorded a 90% vote in his favour (between him and
none of the above), becoming president of the DP on 10 October 2004. in leading the DP to buck the national trend and greatly increase their vote: winning 43% of the vote and winning eight seats. Nationwide, the party lost 1.1% of its vote share and fell down to 9 seats. Immediately after the election, Meisch ruled out a coalition with the CSV, so the DP continued in opposition.
Minister of Education In 2020, Meisch was at the centre of controversy when, as Minister of Education, he forced the Luxembourgish public schools to reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic despite protests from the teachers union (SNE) and an
online petition from 23,000 concerned parents urging him not to do so. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education stated that "parents have no say in the matter". In July 2021, in response to the effects of stress and
emotional insecurity caused by the
COVID pandemic, Claude Meisch as Minister of National Education, Children and Youth, inaugurated the
Achtsamkeitspfad open-air mindfulness trail at the
Munsbach Castle, designed and created by the Center for Social-Emotional Development (CDSE) to reinforce psychic balance, the first meditation concept of its kind in the
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Claude Meisch congratulated the CDSE for their initiative to promote awareness of emotional skills and well-being, and thanked the commune of
Schuttrange for their support. In 2023 he was appointed Minister of Education, Children and Youth and as Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning in the
government of Luc Frieden. ==Footnotes==