Christian Democratic Union of Germany

Christian Democratic Union of Germany

Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands
Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands
Abbreviation	CDU
Leader	Friedrich Merz
General Secretary	Carsten Linnemann
Founded	26 June 1945
Headquarters	Konrad-Adenauer-Haus, Klingelhöferstraße 8, 10785 Berlin
Newspaper	Union
Youth wing	Young Union
Membership (2024)	363,100
Ideology	Christian democracy; Conservatism (German);
Political position	Centre-right
National affiliation	CDU/CSU
European affiliation	European People's Party
European Parliament group	European People's Party Group
International affiliation	Centrist Democrat International; International Democracy Union
Colours	Turquoise (official); Black (customary); Orange;
Bundestag	164 / 630
State Parliaments	520 / 1,896
European Parliament	23 / 96
Heads of State Governments	7 / 16
Party flag
Website
	cdu.de
	Politics of Germany; Political parties; Elections;

The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (German: Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands [ˈkʁɪstlɪç demoˈkʁaːtɪʃə ʔuˈni̯oːn ˈdɔʏtʃlants], CDU [ˌtseːdeːˈʔuː] ^ⓘ) is a Christian democratic^[4] and conservative^[5] political party in Germany. It is the major party of the centre-right^[6] in German politics.^[7] Friedrich Merz has been federal chairman of the CDU since 31 January 2022,^[8] and is the Chancellor of Germany since 6 May 2025.

The CDU is the largest party in the Bundestag, the German federal legislature, with 208 out of 630 seats, having won 28.5% of votes in the 2025 federal election. It forms the CDU/CSU Bundestag faction, also known as the Union, with its Bavarian counterpart, the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU). The group's parliamentary leader is also Friedrich Merz.

Founded in 1945 as an interdenominational Christian party, the CDU effectively succeeded the pre-war Catholic Centre Party, with many former members joining the party, including its first leader Konrad Adenauer. The party also included politicians of other backgrounds, including liberals and conservatives.^[9] As a result, the party claims to represent "Christian-social, liberal and conservative" elements.^[10] The CDU is generally pro-European in outlook.^[11]^[12] Black is the party's customary and historical electoral colour. Other colours include red for the logo, orange for the flag, and black-red-gold for the corporate design.^[13]

The CDU is expected to lead the next federal government in a grand coalition with the SPD, after returning as the largest party in the 2025 federal election. It previously led the federal government from 1949 to 1969, 1982 to 1998, and 2005 to 2021. Germany's three longest-serving post-war Chancellors have all come from the CDU, specifically: Helmut Kohl (1982–1998), Angela Merkel (2005–2021), and Konrad Adenauer (1949–1963). The party also currently leads the governments of seven of Germany's sixteen states.

The CDU is a member of the Centrist Democrat International, the International Democracy Union, and the European People's Party (EPP). It is the largest party in the EPP with 23 MEPs. Ursula von der Leyen, the current President of the European Commission, is also a member of the CDU.

^ Philipp Mißfelder (editor): 60 Jahre Junge Union Deutschlands, Berlin 2007 ISBN 978-3-923632-06-0
^ Goldenberg, Rina. "A guide to Germany's political parties". Deutsche Welle.
^ "CDU Corporate Design Manual" (PDF). September 2023.
^
Multiple sources:
- Bösch (2004). Steven Van Hecke; Emmanuel Gerard (eds.). Two Crises, Two Consolidations? Christian Democracy in Germany. Leuven University Press. pp. 55–78.
- Lappenküper (2004). Gehler; Kaiser (eds.). Between Concentration Movement and People's Party: The Christian Democratic Union in Germany. Vol. 2. Routledge. pp. 21–32.
^
Multiple sources:
- Brady, Kate (21 June 2021). "Merkel's conservatives present election manifesto". Deutsche Welle (DW). Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- "'New direction': How Berlin is getting its first conservative-led government in decades". The Local Germany. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- Rosellini, Jay (March 2020). The German New Right AfD, PEGIDA and the Re-Imagining of National Identity. Hurst. p. 83. ISBN 9781787383524.
- Rowe, Carolyn; Ed, Turner (30 April 2023). Decentralising Policy Responsibility and Political Authority in Germany. Springer International Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 9783031294792.
^
Multiple sources:
- Conradt, David P. (2015), "Christian Democratic Union (CDU)", Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Encyclopædia Britannica, retrieved 16 December 2015
- Miklin, Eric (November 2014). "From 'Sleeping Giant' to Left–Right Politicization? National Party Competition on the EU and the Euro Crisis". JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. 52 (6): 1199–1206. doi:10.1111/jcms.12188. S2CID 153758674.
- Boswell, Christina; Dough, Dan (2009). "Politicizing migration: opportunity or liability for the centre-right in Germany?". In Bale, Tim (ed.). Immigration and Integration Policy in Europe: Why Politics – and the Centre-Right – Matter. Routledge. p. 21.
- Hornsteiner, Margret; Saalfeld, Thomas (2014). Parties and the Party System. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 80.
- Detterbeck, Klaus (2014). Multi-Level Party Politics in Western Europe. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 105.
^
Multiple sources:
- Mark Kesselman; Joel Krieger; Christopher S. Allen; Stephen Hellman (2008). European Politics in Transition. Cengage Learning. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-618-87078-3. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- Sarah Elise Wiliarty (2010). The CDU and the Politics of Gender in Germany: Bringing Women to the Party. Cambridge University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-521-76582-4. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
^ "Friedrich Merz takes over as leader of Germany's Christian Democrats". The Economist. 22 January 2022. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
^ Martin Seeleib-Kaiser; Silke Van Dyk; Martin Roggenkamp (2008). Party Politics and Social Welfare: Comparing Christian and Social Democracy in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. Edward Elgar. p. 10.
^ Sven-Uwe Schmitz (2009). Konservatismus. VS Verlag. p. 142.
^ "Germany". Europe Elects. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
^ Janosch Delcker (28 August 2017). "Where German parties stand on Europe". Politico.
^ "Das Corporate Design der CDU Deutschlands" (PDF). 17 October 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2019.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[1] Philipp Mißfelder (editor): 60 Jahre Junge Union Deutschlands, Berlin 2007 ISBN 978-3-923632-06-0

[2] Goldenberg, Rina. "A guide to Germany's political parties". Deutsche Welle.

[3] "CDU Corporate Design Manual" (PDF). September 2023.

[6] Multiple sources:
Bösch (2004). Steven Van Hecke; Emmanuel Gerard (eds.). Two Crises, Two Consolidations? Christian Democracy in Germany. Leuven University Press. pp. 55–78.

Lappenküper (2004). Gehler; Kaiser (eds.). Between Concentration Movement and People's Party: The Christian Democratic Union in Germany. Vol. 2. Routledge. pp. 21–32.

[5] Bösch (2004). Steven Van Hecke; Emmanuel Gerard (eds.). Two Crises, Two Consolidations? Christian Democracy in Germany. Leuven University Press. pp. 55–78.

[6] Lappenküper (2004). Gehler; Kaiser (eds.). Between Concentration Movement and People's Party: The Christian Democratic Union in Germany. Vol. 2. Routledge. pp. 21–32.

[7] Multiple sources:
Brady, Kate (21 June 2021). "Merkel's conservatives present election manifesto". Deutsche Welle (DW). Retrieved 28 February 2024.

"'New direction': How Berlin is getting its first conservative-led government in decades". The Local Germany. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.

Rosellini, Jay (March 2020). The German New Right AfD, PEGIDA and the Re-Imagining of National Identity. Hurst. p. 83. ISBN 9781787383524.

Rowe, Carolyn; Ed, Turner (30 April 2023). Decentralising Policy Responsibility and Political Authority in Germany. Springer International Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 9783031294792.

[8] Brady, Kate (21 June 2021). "Merkel's conservatives present election manifesto". Deutsche Welle (DW). Retrieved 28 February 2024.

[9] "'New direction': How Berlin is getting its first conservative-led government in decades". The Local Germany. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.

[10] Rosellini, Jay (March 2020). The German New Right AfD, PEGIDA and the Re-Imagining of National Identity. Hurst. p. 83. ISBN 9781787383524.

[11] Rowe, Carolyn; Ed, Turner (30 April 2023). Decentralising Policy Responsibility and Political Authority in Germany. Springer International Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 9783031294792.

[8] Multiple sources:
Conradt, David P. (2015), "Christian Democratic Union (CDU)", Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Encyclopædia Britannica, retrieved 16 December 2015

Miklin, Eric (November 2014). "From 'Sleeping Giant' to Left–Right Politicization? National Party Competition on the EU and the Euro Crisis". JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. 52 (6): 1199–1206. doi:10.1111/jcms.12188. S2CID 153758674.

Boswell, Christina; Dough, Dan (2009). "Politicizing migration: opportunity or liability for the centre-right in Germany?". In Bale, Tim (ed.). Immigration and Integration Policy in Europe: Why Politics – and the Centre-Right – Matter. Routledge. p. 21.

Hornsteiner, Margret; Saalfeld, Thomas (2014). Parties and the Party System. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 80.

Detterbeck, Klaus (2014). Multi-Level Party Politics in Western Europe. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 105.

[13] Conradt, David P. (2015), "Christian Democratic Union (CDU)", Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Encyclopædia Britannica, retrieved 16 December 2015

[14] Miklin, Eric (November 2014). "From 'Sleeping Giant' to Left–Right Politicization? National Party Competition on the EU and the Euro Crisis". JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. 52 (6): 1199–1206. doi:10.1111/jcms.12188. S2CID 153758674.

[15] Boswell, Christina; Dough, Dan (2009). "Politicizing migration: opportunity or liability for the centre-right in Germany?". In Bale, Tim (ed.). Immigration and Integration Policy in Europe: Why Politics – and the Centre-Right – Matter. Routledge. p. 21.

[16] Hornsteiner, Margret; Saalfeld, Thomas (2014). Parties and the Party System. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 80.

[17] Detterbeck, Klaus (2014). Multi-Level Party Politics in Western Europe. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 105.

[9] Multiple sources:
Mark Kesselman; Joel Krieger; Christopher S. Allen; Stephen Hellman (2008). European Politics in Transition. Cengage Learning. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-618-87078-3. Retrieved 17 August 2012.

Sarah Elise Wiliarty (2010). The CDU and the Politics of Gender in Germany: Bringing Women to the Party. Cambridge University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-521-76582-4. Retrieved 17 August 2012.

[19] Mark Kesselman; Joel Krieger; Christopher S. Allen; Stephen Hellman (2008). European Politics in Transition. Cengage Learning. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-618-87078-3. Retrieved 17 August 2012.

[20] Sarah Elise Wiliarty (2010). The CDU and the Politics of Gender in Germany: Bringing Women to the Party. Cambridge University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-521-76582-4. Retrieved 17 August 2012.

[economist.com-10] "Friedrich Merz takes over as leader of Germany's Christian Democrats". The Economist. 22 January 2022. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 22 January 2022.

[11] Martin Seeleib-Kaiser; Silke Van Dyk; Martin Roggenkamp (2008). Party Politics and Social Welfare: Comparing Christian and Social Democracy in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. Edward Elgar. p. 10.

[12] Sven-Uwe Schmitz (2009). Konservatismus. VS Verlag. p. 142.

[13] "Germany". Europe Elects. Retrieved 13 November 2020.

[14] Janosch Delcker (28 August 2017). "Where German parties stand on Europe". Politico.

[15] "Das Corporate Design der CDU Deutschlands" (PDF). 17 October 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2019.

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