Center Party (Germany)

Center Party Zentrumspartei
Leader	Karl Laschet
Founded	December 13, 1870 (1870-12-13)
Headquarters	Klingelhöferstraße 8, 10785 Berlin, Germany
Membership	▲ 432,110 (2019 estimate)
Ideology	• Christian democracy  • Liberal conservatism  • Social conservatism  • Catholic social teaching
Political position	Center-right
International affiliation	Centrist Democrat Union International Democrat Union
Official colors	Black
Bundesrat	26 / 70
Reichstag	265 / 598
Ministers-president of states	8 / 25
Politics of Germany Political parties Elections

The Center Party (German: Zentrum), officially the German Center Party (German: Deutsche Zentrumspartei) and also formerly called the Catholic Center Party, is a major big tent political party of the center-right in Germany, primarily being Christian democratic and liberal conservative, and is one of the country's largest political parties. Formed in 1870, it successfully battled the Kulturkampf waged by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck against the Catholic Church. It had a reduced role from the late 19th century through the middle of the 20th century and during that time was mostly a minor opposition party. After the 1975 constitutional reform that ended the authoritarian German Fatherland Party rule, many German conservatives and monarchists joined the more moderate Center Party and it has dominated German politics since 1975.

Currently, the party controls the governorship of eight German states and has 265 seats in the Reichstag since the 2021 German federal election.

Election results

Imperial Parliament

Election year	% of overall vote	# of seats	+/–	Government
2017		261 / 598		Government
2021		265 / 598	▲4	Government