Changes

  | footnotes =

  | footnotes =

}}

}}

The '''Christian Democratic Union of Germany''' (Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands, '''CDU''') is a [[Christian Democratic]] political party in [[Germany]]. It is a middle-conservative party, and in 2009-2013 shared power in a coalition with the liberal-libertarian [[Free Democratic Party]] (FDP).  [[File:Merkel.jpg|thumb|290px| Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] leads the party]] The CDU is always in partnership with the '''[[Christian Social Union of Bavaria|Christian Social Union]]''', its more conservative sister party in [[Bavaria]]. When adding the mandates of both the CDU and CSU, who caucus together at the national level, they form the largest parliamentary group at the national level. Both parties are also in control of a majority of governments at the state level, with 11 out of 16 heads of state governments hailing from one of them.  

The '''Christian Democratic Union of Germany''' (Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands, '''CDU''') is a [[Christian Democratic]] political party in [[Germany]]. It is a middle-conservative party, and in 2009-2013 shared power in a coalition with the liberal-libertarian [[Free Democratic Party]] (FDP).  [[File:Merkel.jpg|thumb|290px| Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] leads the party]]

 

The CDU is always in partnership with the '''[[Christian Social Union of Bavaria|Christian Social Union]]''', its more conservative sister party in [[Bavaria]]: the CDU does not field candidates in Bavaria and, in turn, the CSU does not field candidates outside it. When adding the mandates of both the CDU and CSU, who caucus together at the national level, they form the largest parliamentary group at the national level. Both parties are also in control of a majority of governments at the state level, with 11 out of 16 heads of state governments hailing from one of them.  

In 2013 the CDU won again the majority with 41.5 percent, but its ally the [[Free Democratic Party]] left the parliament because they had not enough votes.<ref>http://cnsnews.com/news/article/merkel-triumphs-german-vote-allies-crushed</ref> The Christian Democratic Union has created a coalition with the left-center [[SPD]], who got 25.7 percent of the vote.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/10/17/merkel-and-center-left-rivals-agree-to-recommend-entering-formal-talks-on-new/</ref> The CDU declined by 8% in the 2017 election, losing much of its votes to the conservative and [[Euroskeptic]] [[Alternative for Germany]].

In 2013 the CDU won again the majority with 41.5 percent, but its ally the [[Free Democratic Party]] left the parliament because they had not enough votes.<ref>http://cnsnews.com/news/article/merkel-triumphs-german-vote-allies-crushed</ref> The Christian Democratic Union has created a coalition with the left-center [[SPD]], who got 25.7 percent of the vote.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/10/17/merkel-and-center-left-rivals-agree-to-recommend-entering-formal-talks-on-new/</ref> The CDU declined by 8% in the 2017 election, losing much of its votes to the conservative and [[Euroskeptic]] [[Alternative for Germany]].