Leader of the Christian Democratic Union
| Leader of the Christian Democratic Union | |
|---|---|
| Vorsitzender der Christlich Demokratischen Union | |
since 31 January 2022 | |
| Type | 1029 |
| Member of | Federal Executive Presidium |
| Seat | Konrad-Adenauer-Haus |
| Formation | 1 March 1946 |
| First holder | Konrad Adenauer |
| Website | https://www.cdu.de/ueber-uns/struktur-der-cdu |
The leader of the Christian Democratic Union (Vorsitzender der Christlich Demokratischen Union) is the most senior political figure within the Christian Democratic Union of Germany. Since 31 January 2022, the office has been held by Friedrich Merz, who succeeded Armin Laschet.[1]
The Leader of the Christian Democratic Union Party is supported by a General Secretary who, since 12 July 2023, has been Carsten Linnemann.
List of leaders of the Christian Democratic Union (1946–present)
A list of leaders since 1946:[2]
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) Home State |
Leadership | Chancellor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Tenure | Elections | |||||
| 1 | Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967) North Rhine-Westphalia |
1 March 1946 – 23 March 1966 |
20 years, 22 days | 1949 1953 1957 1961 |
Konrad Adenauer (1949-63) | ||
| Ludwig Erhard (1963-66) | |||||||
| 2 | Ludwig Erhard[a] (1897–1977) Baden-Württemberg |
23 March 1966 – 23 May 1967 |
1 year, 61 days | 1965 | |||
| Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1966-69) | |||||||
| 3 | Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1904–1988) Baden-Württemberg |
23 May 1967 – 5 October 1971 |
4 years, 135 days | 1969 | |||
| Willy Brandt (1969-74) | |||||||
| 4 | Rainer Barzel (1924–2006) North Rhine-Westphalia |
5 October 1971 – 12 June 1973 |
1 year, 250 days | 1972 | |||
| 5 | Helmut Kohl (1930–2017) Rhineland-Palatinate |
12 June 1973 – 7 November 1998 |
25 years, 148 days | 1976 1980[b] |
|||
| Helmut Schmidt (1974-82) | |||||||
| 1983 1987 1990 1994 |
Helmut Kohl (1982-98) | ||||||
| 6 | Wolfgang Schäuble (1942–2023) Baden-Württemberg |
7 November 1998 – 16 February 2000 |
1 year, 101 days | 1998 | Gerhard Schröder (1998-2005)| | ||
| 7 | Angela Merkel (born 1954) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
10 April 2000 – 7 December 2018 |
18 years, 241 days | 2002[c] | |||
| 2005 2009 2013 2017 |
Angela Merkel (2005-21)| | ||||||
| 8 | Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (born 1962) Saarland |
7 December 2018 – 22 January 2021 |
2 years, 46 days | ||||
| 9 | Armin Laschet (born 1961) North Rhine-Westphalia |
22 January 2021 – 31 January 2022 |
1 year, 9 days | 2021 | |||
| Olaf Scholz (2021-25)| | |||||||
| 10 | Friedrich Merz (born 1955) North Rhine-Westphalia |
since 31 January 2022 |
4 years, 48 days | 2025 | |||
| Friedrich Merz (since 2025) | |||||||
Timeline
See also
- Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
- Christian Social Union of Germany (CSU)
- Alliance '90/The Greens
Notes
- ^ There is uncertainty over the question whether Erhard was ever actually a member of the CDU. Reports at the time suggested that he joined the party when he became chairman, although his membership was backdated by three years. However, reports in 2007 suggested that Erhard never actually joined the CDU. The Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which holds the party archives, reported that the question could "not be answered conclusively."[3]
- ^ Kohl opted not to seek the nomination as chancellor candidate due to internal criticism, instead nominated Lower Saxony premier Ernst Albrecht, who went on to lose the nomination to Bavaria premier and CSU leader Franz Josef Strauss.
- ^ After being outmaneuvered, Merkel yield the nomination as the Union's Chancellor candidate to Bavaria premier and CSU leader Edmund Stoiber.
References
- ^ "Friedrich Merz takes over as leader of Germany's Christian Democrats". The Economist. 22 January 2022. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "Startseite". Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (in German). Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ Kellerhoff, Sven Felix (25 April 2007). "Der Kanzler, der nie Mitglied seiner Partei war". Die Welt. Retrieved 25 April 2018.