Merz reshuffles German cabinet after Spahn resignation, signals further changes before state votes
Chancellor Friedrich Merz replaced his chancellery chief and health minister on Friday, with the transport minister also expected to depart, as he seeks to revive his unpopular government before September regional elections.
Trigger: Spahn resignation
The reshuffle was triggered by the resignation of Jens Spahn as head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. Spahn stepped down after public backlash over his decision to have a child via surrogacy in the United States, a practice that is illegal in Germany and which he had repeatedly opposed in public statements. His departure created a vacancy at the top of the conservative bloc's parliamentary leadership, forcing Merz to rearrange his team at a time when his coalition government is deeply unpopular.
Announced changes
On Friday, Merz, together with CSU leader Markus Söder, proposed Thorsten Frei, until now head of the chancellery, to take over the parliamentary group leadership. The election is scheduled for July 29. To fill Frei's role, Merz appointed Health Minister Nina Warken as the new chancellery chief, making her the first woman to hold the post in post-war Germany. Warken is credited with a recent reform of the health system. Her ministry will be taken over by Carsten Linnemann, the CDU general secretary. Additionally, Philipp Amthor, deputy minister for digital policy, will move to the chancellery as deputy minister for federal-state relations.
There will be more changes in the cabinet in the future, which will need more time.
Transport minister on the way out
Although not formally announced on Friday, Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder is widely expected to be dismissed. Bild reported that Merz has grown increasingly frustrated with Schnieder's failure to address the country's crumbling railway network and infrastructure, despite a record budget. The chancellor is set to replace him with Fritz Güntzler, a CDU MP and financial auditor from Göttingen who has served in the Bundestag since 2013 and sits on the Finance Committee. Merz limited himself to saying that "further changes" are forthcoming.
- Jens Spahn resigns as CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader after surrogacy controversy
- Merz announces cabinet changes including Warken as chancellery chief and Linnemann as health minister
- Thorsten Frei to be elected as new parliamentary group leader on July 29
- Merz promises more cabinet changes in the future, with transport minister Schnieder expected to be replaced
AfD pressure and Kretschmer's call
The reshuffle comes as Merz faces mounting pressure from within his own party to reconsider the political firewall against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Michael Kretschmer, the CDU prime minister of Saxony, urged the chancellor to break the "taboo" of refusing cooperation with the AfD ahead of September state elections in Saxony, where the far-right party could win first place for the first time and potentially elect its first state governor.
Whoever still talks about protective walls has not recognized the signs of the times. We must talk to anyone who wants to talk.
Kretschmer leads a minority government in Saxony and his comments challenge Merz's insistence on maintaining a cordon sanitaire against the AfD, which is currently the most popular party in the country according to polls.
What's next
Merz has signalled that the reshuffle is not over. Bild also reported that Economy Minister Katarina Reiche has received a "yellow card" from the chancellery, indicating dissatisfaction with her performance. The chancellor's promise of further changes suggests more departures could follow as he tries to stabilise his deeply unpopular government before the regional elections. The election of Frei on July 29 will be the next immediate step.
