cdu

CDU most commonly refers to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands), a center-right political party in Germany. It is part of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group and the European People’s Party at the European level. The party promotes Christian democratic values, a social market economy, and continued European integration.

The CDU was founded in 1945 in the western Allied zones after World War II, with Konrad Adenauer among its leading founders. It has been a dominant force in postwar German politics, contributing several chancellors and shaping the country’s political center-right over decades. The party forms a close alliance with its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU); together they operate the CDU/CSU bloc in the Bundestag and cooperate in many state governments. In Europe, CDU members sit with the EPP in the European Parliament.

Notable figures associated with the CDU include Konrad Adenauer, Ludwig Erhard, Kurt Georg Kiesinger, Helmut Kohl, and Angela Merkel. As of 2021, Friedrich Merz has served as the party leader. The CDU has a broad base across Germany’s states and emphasizes a pro-European stance, social market economics, rule of law, and a balance between social welfare and fiscal responsibility. It has frequently governed in coalition with other parties and remains one of Germany’s two major political forces alongside the Social Democratic Party (SPD).