Changes

  | party_logo =  

  | party_logo =  

  | website = [https://www.cdu.de/ cdu.de]

  | website = [https://www.cdu.de/ cdu.de]

  | leader = [[Angela Merkel]]

  | leader = [[Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer]]

  | parleader = Ralph Brinkhaus

  | parleader = Ralph Brinkhaus

  | foundation = 1945

  | foundation = 1945

  | 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 '''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]] led the party from 2000 to 2018]]

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.  

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.  

| [[Angela Merkel]]

| [[Angela Merkel]]

| 16 February 2000

| 16 February 2000

| ''present''

| ''present''

|-

|-

===Federal Leadership===

===Federal Leadership===

The present chairwoman (of the federal party group) is German [[chancellor]] [[Angela Merkel]], vice-chairman are [[Volker Bouffier]] ([[Minister-President]] of the federal state of [[Hesse]]), [[Ursula von der Leyen]] (Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs), [[Julia Klöckner]] (chairman of the CDU of the federal state of [[Rhineland-Palatinate]]), [[Armin Laschet]] (chairman of the CDU of the federal state of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]) and [[Thomas Strobl]] (chairman of the CDU of the federal state of [[Baden-Württemberg]]).

The present chairwoman (of the federal party group) is [[Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer]], vice-chairman are [[Volker Bouffier]] ([[Minister-President]] of the federal state of [[Hesse]]), [[Ursula von der Leyen]] (Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs), [[Julia Klöckner]] (chairman of the CDU of the federal state of [[Rhineland-Palatinate]]), [[Armin Laschet]] (chairman of the CDU of the federal state of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]) and [[Thomas Strobl]] (chairman of the CDU of the federal state of [[Baden-Württemberg]]).

===Think Tank===

===Think Tank===

*[[Konrad Adenauer]], first chancellor of the [[Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]]

*[[Konrad Adenauer]], first chancellor of the [[Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]]

*[[Helmut Kohl]], former chancellor of Germany

*[[Helmut Kohl]], former chancellor of Germany

*[[Angela Merkel]], present chancellor of Germany, present chairwoman of the CDU

*[[Angela Merkel]], present chancellor of Germany, former chairwoman of the CDU

===External links===

===External links===