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The Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU – Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern e.V. (help·info)) is a Christian democratic political party in Germany. It operates exclusively in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the CDU, operates in the rest of the country. On the federal level, the CSU is often perceived as the more socially conservative of the two parties. At times, especially when the CDU showed weaknesses, there has been considerable tension up to threats to break up the cooperation. Most of the time, however, they work together very closely.

Franz Josef Strauß (1915-1988) is seen as having set the ideological basis of the party, although he was too young to be a founding leader of the party, which began as a continuation of the Weimar-era Bavarian People's Party and, to a lesser extent, of the Catholic Centre Party.

The CSU has led the Bavarian state government practically since it came into existence, and without the need for a coalition government for most of the time. This level of dominance is unique in post-war Germany. On the federal level, it forms a common fraction in the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) with the CDU. Edmund Stoiber took over the CSU chairmanship early in 1999. He ran for Chancellor in 2002, but lost. In 2003 the CSU was re-elected as the Bavarian government with an overall majority. On 18 January 2007 Stoiber announced his decision to stand down from the posts of minister-president and CSU chairman by 30 September after having been under fire in his own party for weeks.

The CSU has a strong support in the rural parts of Bavaria, but 5 of the 8 Bavarian cities with more than 100'000 citizens (including the 3 largest cities Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg) have elected mayors from the German SPD (Dec. 2007).

The CSU is a member of the European People's Party (EPP) and its European parliamentarians sit in the EPP-ED Group.

• Josef Müller 1946-1949
• Hans Ehard 1949-1955
• Hanns Seidel 1955-1961
• Franz Josef Strauß 1961-1988
• Theodor Waigel 1988-1999
• Edmund Stoiber 1999-2007
• Erwin Huber from 2007

• Christian Democratic Union of Germany
• Politics of Germany
• Bundestag (Federal Assembly of Germany)

v • d • e Political parties in Germany
Christian Democratic Union (180) • Christian Social Union (46) • Social Democratic Party of Germany (222) • Free Democratic Party (61) • The Left (54) • Alliance '90/The Greens (51)
Portal:Politics - List of political parties - Politics of Germany

• Christlich-Soziale Union - Official site (English page)