Christian Democratic Union of Germany
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 |
| Women's wing | Women's Union |
| LGBT+ wing | Lesbians and Gays in the Union |
| Pensioners' wing | Pensioners' Union |
| Workers' wing | Christian Democratic Workers' Association of Germany |
| Membership (2024) | 363,100 |
| Ideology | |
| 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 |
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| Bundestag | 164 / 630 |
| State Parliaments | 520 / 1,896 |
| European Parliament | 23 / 96 |
| Heads of State Governments | 7 / 16 |
| Party flag | |
| Website | |
| cdu.de | |
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (German: Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands [ˈkʁɪstlɪç demoˈkʁaːtɪʃə ʔuˈni̯oːn ˈdɔʏtʃlants], CDU [ˌtseːdeːˈʔuː] ⓘ) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is the major party of the centre-right in German politics. Friedrich Merz has been federal chairman of the CDU since 31 January 2022, and has served as 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. As a result, the party claims to represent "Christian-social, liberal and conservative" elements. The CDU is generally pro-European in outlook. 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.
The CDU leads the federal government in a grand coalition with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (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.