Christian Social Union of Bavaria
| Christian Social Union of Bavaria | |
|---|---|
| Party leader | Horst Seehofer |
| Parliamentary leader | Volker Kauder |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Headquarters | |
| Political ideology | Christian democracy |
| Political position | |
| International affiliation | International Democrat Union and European People’s Party |
| Color(s) | blue and black |
| Website | csu.de |
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria (in German: Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany that only runs for elections in the state of Bavaria.
Since its foundation shortly after World War II, the CSU has formed a tight partnership with its sister party, the CDU: the CDU does not field candidates in Bavaria and, in turn, the CSU does not field candidates outside it. Compared to the larger CDU, the CSU is considered more socially conservative and closer to the Catholic church. In 1980 and 2002, the CSU ran candidates for the German chancellorship on a joint ticket with the CDU (Franz Josef Strauss in 1980 and Edmund Stoiber in 2002). The CSU is the largest party in the state of Bavaria by a substantial margin, and has ruled the state since 1953, usually with an absolute majority. Its chairman is Horst Seehofer.
Party leaders
- Josef Müller (1945–1949)
- Hans Erhard (1949–1955)
- Hanns Seidel (1955–1961)
- Franz Josef Strauss (1961–1988)
- Theo Waigel (1988–1999)
- Edmund Stoiber (1999–2007)
- Erwin Huber (2007–2008)
- Horst Seehofer (since 2008)
