Friedrich Merz has been federal chairman of the CDU since 31 January 2022.^[17] The CDU is the second largest party in the Bundestag, the German federal legislature, with 152 out of 736 seats, having won 18.9% of votes in the 2021 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.^[18] As a result, the party claims to represent "Christian-social, liberal and conservative" elements.^[19] The CDU is generally pro-European in outlook.^[20]^[21] 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.^[22]

Since the election defeat in the 2021 federal election, the CDU is in opposition at federal level. 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, more specifically: Helmut Kohl (1982–1998), Angela Merkel (2005–2021), and Konrad Adenauer (1949–1963). The party also currently leads the governments of six of Germany's sixteen states.

The CDU is a member of the Centrist Democrat International, the International Democrat 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.

(JU), the common youth organisation of the CDU and the CSU.

Junge Union

(CDA), an association in the tradition of Christian traded unionism, representing Christian-democratic wage earners.

Christian Democratic Employees' Association

(EAK, together with the CSU), representing the Protestant minority in the party.

Evangelical Working Group of the CDU/CSU

(RCDS), the student organisation of the party.

Association of Christian Democratic Students

(LSU), neither an organization within the party (Vereinigung) nor an officially affiliated group (Sondergruppe) there of, as of Dec. 2020 party caucus vote still listed as "other" (Sonstige Gruppen), representing LGBT+ members of the CDU.

Lesbian and Gay Members of the Union

Archive for Christian Democratic Policy

List of Christian democratic parties

List of political parties in Germany

, the signature gesture of Angela Merkel which is prominently featured in the CDU's campaign for the 2013 German federal election^[64]

Merkel-Raute

Party finance in Germany

Bösch, Frank (2004). Steven Van Hecke; Emmanuel Gerard (eds.). Two Crises, Two Consolidations? Christian Democracy in Germany. Leuven University Press. pp. 55–78. 90-5867-377-4. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

ISBN

Cary, Noel D. (1996). The Path to Christian Democracy: German Catholics and the Party System from Windthorst to Adenauer. .

Harvard University Press

Green, Simon; Turner, Ed, eds. (2015). Understanding the Transformation of Germany's CDU. Routledge.

Kleinmann, Hans-Otto (1993). Geschichte der CDU: 1945–1982. Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt. 3-421-06541-1.

ISBN

Lappenküper, Ulrich (2004). Michael Gehler; Wolfram Kaiser (eds.). Between Concentration Movement and People's Party: The Christian Democratic Union of Germany. Routledge. pp. 21–32. 0-7146-5662-3. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

ISBN

Mitchell, Maria (2012). The Origins of Christian Democracy: Politics and Confession in Modern Germany. University of Michigan Press. 978-0-472-11841-0.

ISBN

Wiliarty, Sarah Elise (2010). The CDU and the Politics of Gender in Germany: Bringing Women to the Party. .

Christian Democratic Union of Germany