The free state of Bavaria

On the political map of Germany, the CSU presents itself as the only authentic party with a right-wing profile, treating groups further to its right as extreme and undemocratic. The CSU thus continues the policy of Franz Josef Strauss, whose motto was that “no democratic party may arise to the right of the CSU”. The Bavarian group has so far been the main party of conservative views represented in the Bundestag. However, this status is currently being threatened by the Alternative for Germany, which entered the Bundestag in 2017.

The report contains an analysis of the relations between the CSU and the CDU, the significance of the two parties’ joint parliamentary group, alongside the possible consequences of breaking the group’s unity. The text discusses the main elements of the CSU’s political platform and the changes happening within the party itself and among its voters, including in the context of the 2018 Landtag election. Other issues analysed in the report include: the CSU’s impact on how Bavaria’s foreign policy is shaped, the main socio-economic challenges Bavaria is currently facing, and the CSU’s concepts of how to maintain the present pace of the state’s development.