Christian Social Union

The Bavarian sister party of the CDU, founded in 1945, which contests elections only in Bavaria.

Overview

The CSU has governed Bavaria almost continuously since 1945 alone or in coalition, making it the most electorally successful party in the democratic world by longevity. Founded from Bavarian Catholic traditions, it sits to the right of the CDU on social and cultural questions while championing Bavarian interests in Bonn and Berlin. Franz Josef Strauss dominated it for decades; his ambition for the chancellorship ended with the 1980 defeat. The CSU supplies the Union its Bavarian deputies and periodically strains the alliance, as in the 2017 migration crisis that collapsed coalition talks. It has polled above fifty percent of Bavarian votes at its peak.