Key facts
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested a potential cabinet reshuffle.
- The potential reshuffle follows the resignation of Jens Spahn, parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Union.
- Spahn resigned due to revelations about using a surrogate mother in the U.S. for a child, a practice banned in Germany.
- Merz described the situation as a possible "opportunity to think once again about the lineup of the federal government."
- Merz aims to decide on Spahn's successor by the end of July.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has indicated that the resignation of Jens Spahn, the parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), could present an opportunity to reshuffle his cabinet. Spahn resigned on Saturday after facing scrutiny over using a surrogate mother in the United States to have a child, a practice that is banned in Germany.
Speaking in a ZDF interview, Merz stated that Spahn's departure "could be an opportunity to think once again about the lineup of the federal government," emphasizing that this was a hypothetical consideration rather than a firm plan. Merz did not confirm any potential successors for Spahn's position, including his own chief of staff, Thorsten Frei, who is widely seen as a frontrunner. Merz noted that he had not anticipated the extent of the public backlash against Spahn regarding the surrogacy issue.
The pressure to quickly fill the vacancy is heightened by upcoming key state elections in September in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the CDU faces challenging contests. The far-right AfD is particularly aiming to secure its first state premiership in Saxony-Anhalt.