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Union Leads 2025 Party Mega-Donations as AfD Faces Withheld €2.35 Million Gift

Year-end disclosures from the Bundestag spotlight concentrated large donations alongside an unresolved seized AfD payment.

Overview

  • CDU and CSU together took in nearly €7.9 million in large donations, with about €6.6 million going to the CDU and €1.2 million to the CSU, according to official filings.
  • AfD reported roughly €5.1 million, but €2.35 million from Austria is being held by the Bundestag administration over suspected straw-donor violations as the party seeks the money’s return in court.
  • After the February federal election, the CDU still logged almost €2.4 million in big gifts from March through December, while the SPD recorded none in that period.
  • FDP raised about €3.2 million in large donations in 2025 yet left the Bundestag with 4.3 percent of second votes.
  • Only contributions above €35,000 must be disclosed immediately, and the SSW remains a special case due to regular payments from Denmark’s culture ministry.