Christian Social Union in Bavaria
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The Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU – Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern e.V.) is a conservative political party in Germany. It operates exclusively in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party CDU operates in the rest of the country. Only in 1957 in the state of Saarland the CSU ran against CDU candidates, but this section of the CSU later merged with the CDU.
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 faction in the Bundestag (Federal Assembly) 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. 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.
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Chairmen of the Christian Social Union, 1946-present
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