Key facts
- Thorsten Frei will be appointed as the new parliamentary faction chief for Germany's ruling conservatives.
- Frei is a close ally and confidant of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
- The appointment follows the resignation of Jens Spahn.
- Spahn resigned after having a child born to a surrogate mother in the United States.
- Surrogacy is prohibited in Germany.
Germany's ruling conservative party is set to appoint Thorsten Frei, a close confidant of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as their new parliamentary faction chief. The move comes after the unexpected resignation of Jens Spahn, who faced criticism for having a child born via a surrogate mother in the United States, a practice prohibited in Germany.
Frei, who has been responsible for coordinating government business from the chancellery, is seen by supporters as well-connected within the faction and suited for the parliamentary role. Spahn, a prominent figure in Merz's Christian Democratic Union and its sister Christian Social Union, had at one point been considered a potential challenger to Merz. The party conference in February upheld the ban on surrogacy within Germany, though it is not illegal to raise a child born via surrogacy abroad. Discussions are ongoing to find a successor for Frei in his current chancellery role.