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Notes -
The old quip about the Holy Roman Empire is even more true of the CDU: neither Christian, nor democratic, nor a union
I am sorry, but I don't see it.
The German word 'Union' simply means 'merger', no relation to trade unions. I guess that it refers to the fact that both Catholics (which had their own party in Weimar) and Protestants are welcome.
I also think that the CDU is in fact democratic. There were parties which were genuinely anti-democratic, such as the KPD (which wanted the dictatorship of the proletariat), monarchists or the NSDAP. The CDU/CSU wants none of that. If by some miracle, the SPD had won an absolute majority in Bavaria in the 1970s, they would have peacefully transferred power to them without pulling a Trump.
Their Christianity is indeed debatable. But then again, you can't look into the hearts of people. Perhaps Merz has deeply held Christian beliefs, or perhaps his most cherished belief is that he should be chancellor and he recognizes that he won't get there leading the FDP. Perhaps Christianity (as in WWJD) played a role in Merkel's decision to let the refugees in in 2015.
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