The Values Union (, WU) is a German party founded on 17 February 2024 by transforming a seven-year-old

registered association A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

with the same name.Unzufriedene CDU-Konservative: Was die Werteunion ist und was sie will
ZDF According to its own information, the Values Union had around 4,000 members in 2022; with about 3,000 also being the members of the CDU.

History

The Values Union was founded in 2017 and mostly included the CDU members seeking to reestablish their party's conservative roots. The formation was motivated by the same shift to the right in the CDU that eventually forced Merkel out of the leadership, due to her flirting with

Keynesianism Keynesian economics ( ; sometimes Keynesianism, named after British economist John Maynard Keynes) are the various macroeconomics, macroeconomic theories and Economic model, models of how aggregate demand (total spending in the economy) strongl ...

and

social democracy Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

to the detriment of the "tough market radicalism of the CDU/CSU" and associated electorate losses to the right-wing party (

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

). The CDU's executive committee did not recognize the Values Union as a party subdivision. The critics accused the Values Union of being close to the

(AfD). The group, which was quite small at the time, argued against

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...

's approaches to the and the

2015 European migrant crisis The 2015 European migrant crisis was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe, mostly from the Middle East. An estimated 1.3 million people came to the continent to request asylum, the most in a single ...

. One of the founders,

Hans-Georg Maaßen Hans-Georg Maaßen (born 24 November 1962 in Mönchengladbach) is a German civil servant and lawyer. From 1 August 2012 to 8 November 2018, he served as the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domes ...

, refused to rule out potential coalitions with AfD in the medium-term. The 2019 resolution of the presidium and executive committee of the CDU related to the murder of Walter Lübcke indirectly accused Maaßen and the Values Union of being complicit: "Anyone who supports the AfD must know that they are poisoning the social climate and brutalizing the political discourse". At the time statements by the CDU leadership could have been interpreted as supporting expulsion of Maaßen from the party. The Values Union has been described as Germany's

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event, typically held in the afternoon, featuring the consumption of tea and light refreshments. Social tea drinking rituals are observed in many cultures worldwide, both historically and in the present day. A ...

. Prior to turning into a party, the Values Union had no official party affiliation and its role within the CDU/CSU was highly controversial. It has around 4,000 official members. In the 2018 leadership election the Values Union supported

Friedrich Merz Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz (; ; born 11November 1955) is a German politician serving as Chancellor of Germany since 6 May 2025. He has also served as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since January 2022, leading the CDU/CSU ...

. The federal leadership of the CDU initiated expulsion of Maaßen in February of 2023. The deputy federal chairwoman and North Rhine-Westphalia state leader of the Values Union, Simone Baum, took part in a secret networking meeting between the AfD and other right-wing extremists. At the meeting, the right-wing extremist participants discussed how an expulsion or "remigration" of migrants and people who think differently politically in Germany would be possible. The CDU initiated party expulsion proceedings against Baum and the city of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

terminated her employment with immediate effect, likewise due to her participation at the secret meeting. In the beginning of 2024, Maaßen announced a vote among the association members in order to turn the Values Union into a political party that will take an anti-immigration course. At a general meeting of the Values Union on 20 January 2024 in Erfurt, its members voted to form a new party with a plan to participate in the upcoming September 2024 regional elections in

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, and

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

. Maaßen had said earlier that the new party will cooperate with all parties that support its program and "are ready for a change in policy in Germany." The Values Union got 0.28% of the vote in

2024 Saxony state election 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the H ...

, 0.56% in

2024 Thuringian state election The 2024 Thuringian state election was held on 1 September 2024 to elect the members of the 8th Landtag of Thuringia. It was held on the same day as the 2024 Saxony state election. The outgoing government was a minority government consisting o ...

and 0.26% in

2024 Brandenburg state election The election to the state parliament Landtag of Brandenburg of 22 September 2024 was the third state election within Germany in the month of September 2024, three weeks after the state elections 2024 Thuringian state election, in Thuringia and 20 ...

. AfD Bundestag member Dirk Spaniel joined the party in January 2025, giving it representation in the Bundestag. Spaniel will not run for re-election.

Election results

Federal Parliament (''Bundestag'')

State

Party

The "figurehead" and party chairman is

, the former head of the

Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution ( or BfV, often ''Bundesverfassungsschutz'') is Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency. Together with the Landesämter für Verfassungsschutz (LfV) at the state level, the fed ...

. Since January 2024, Maaßen has been monitored by his former colleagues. Shortly after the party was founded, the dispute over direction and power struggles began. Maaßen said that he would ideally like to form a coalition with the CDU, which he called the "premium partner" for the Values Union. Maaßen also said he was happy about the possible demise of the AfD. This caused discord within the party. The prominent entrepreneur Markus Krall and ex-AfD Max Otte were involved in founding the party. After less than a month they announced their resignation. Both criticized the party's unclear program and political direction and its protagonists' overconfidence. The two complained that the party's distance to the AfD was too great.

Political views

Politically, observers place the party between the CDU and the AfD. The WU consciously avoids refusing to cooperate with the AfD.

Structure

Federal presidency: * Alexander Mitsch (March 2017 – May 2021) *

Max Otte Matthias "Max" Otte (born 7 October 1964) is an economist, publicist and right wing Activism, political activist who holds German and U.S. citizenship. Otte, who has held professorships in Worms, Germany, Worms, Graz and Erfurt, is currently a ...

(May 2021 – January 2022), (partys: former CDU, former Values Union, chair of AfD-foundation) *

(since January 2023), former President of the

(partys: former CDU, now Values Union) Former members: * Alexander Mitsch, co-founder and first federal president of Values Union * Werner Josef Patzelt, political scientist and university professor

References

Sources

* *

External links

* (in German) {{German political parties 2017 establishments in Germany Conservative parties in Germany Right-wing populism in Germany Christian Democratic Union of Germany Climate change denial Populism Organisations based in Baden-Württemberg Political organizations established in 2017 Political parties established in 2024 Political party factions in Germany