Jens Spahn resigned as chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag following an affair surrounding surrogacy in the United States. According to new reports, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CSU leader Markus Söder have agreed that his successor should be Thorsten Frei of the CDU, the current head of the Chancellery. n-tv ↗
Spahn and his husband had previously announced that they had become parents after the birth of a son via a surrogate mother in the USA. Surrogacy is banned in Germany, and the CDU has long rejected its legalization. Criticism therefore focused on the contradiction between the personal decision of a high-ranking politician and his party's position. Spiegel.de ↗
The election of the new parliamentary group chairman is planned for 29 July at an extraordinary meeting of members of parliament in Berlin. Söder had already emphasized that the CSU wants a say in the decision, since the parliamentary group chairman also leads the members of parliament of the Bavarian sister party. It remains open who would take over the leadership of the Chancellery office after Frei. Spiegel.de ↗
New polls show that a large part of the public supports Spahn's departure. According to one poll, 80 percent of Germany's population consider his resignation correct; another poll states that a large majority regard the criticism of Spahn as justified. Der Standard ↗
At the same time, the case continues to fuel political and expert debate on reproductive medicine. Some voices are calling for an open discussion on the regulation of surrogacy, but Federal Family Minister Karin Prien rules out any change in the CDU's stance. For the Union, the most immediate test will be whether it manages to resolve the personnel question without further deepening the internal crisis. Tagesschau ↗
Thorsten Frei set to replace Spahn at the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group
This summary was generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies. Please verify information in the original sources below.
Sources (16)
Deutscher Kanzleramtschef Frei soll laut Medienbericht Spahn-Nachfolger werden
Der Standard
| 12:15 22.07.
CDU/CSU: Thorsten Frei soll auf Jens Spahn als Fraktionschef der Union folgen
Spiegel.de
| 12:15 22.07.
Breaking News: Kanzleramtschef Thorsten Frei soll auf Spahn als Unionsfraktionschef folgen
n-tv
| 12:10 22.07.
Suche nach Unionsfraktionschef: Der Name Dobrindt bleibt im Spiel
Tagesspiegel
| 08:02 22.07.
Kanzleramtschef Frei soll künftig Fraktion der Union im Deutschen Bundestag führen
Der Standard
| 16:05 22.07.
Spahn-Nachfolger gefunden – Thorsten Frei soll neuer Unionsfraktionschef werden
Welt
| 12:07 22.07.
Jens Spahn: Friedrich Merz und Markus Söder planen am Nachmittag Schalte von Fraktionsvorstand über Nachfolge
Spiegel.de
| 10:56 22.07.
Nach Spahn-Rücktritt: Söder: Geeinter Vorschlag für Fraktionschef und andere Ämter
Die Zeit
| 13:47 21.07.
Spahn-Nachfolge: Wer folgt auf Jens Spahn?
Die Zeit
| 06:01 21.07.
Neoblíbený Merz vážně zvažuje přestavbu vlády, CDU se bojí průlomu AfD v zemských volbách
forum24.cz
| 05:00 21.07.
„Es ist eine ganz große Tragik mit diesem Vorgang verbunden“, sagt Altmaier zum Fall Spahn
Welt
| 20:43 20.07.
News des Tages: Spahn-Nachfolger wird Thorsten Frei, KI hackt sich eigenständig in Firmen-Systeme, Wirrer Walauftritt von Veterinärin
Spiegel.de
| 17:25 22.07.
Medienberichte - Kanzleramtschef Frei soll Spahn-Nachfolger werden
Deutschlandfunk
| 12:32 22.07.
Jens Spahn: Seine Prüfung
Die Zeit
| 11:01 22.07.
Will mit Merz über Ämter reden: Söder betont eigenes Mitspracherecht bei Spahn-Nachfolge
n-tv
| 15:18 21.07.
RTL/ntv-Trendbarometer: Merz überzeugt kaum die eigenen Anhänger
n-tv
| 14:35 21.07.
🔥 You might also like
📰
German Politics
Frei becomes new leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group
Thorsten Frei was elected new chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag on Wednesday. The outgoing head of the Chancellery ...
📰
German Politics
Söder and Frei defend Merz's cabinet reshuffle
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces criticism over the delayed filling of the transport ministry, but CSU leader Söder has publicly backed him.
📰
German Politics
Merz reshuffles government and Union leadership after Spahn's departure
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a broader reshuffle of government and party leadership after Jens Spahn resigned as CDU/CSU leader.
© HotInfo
From our newsroom original
All →
Fico announces Friday trip to Ukraine during Prešov visit
Carney offers EU closer cooperation with Canada in Strasbourg
Following AfD's success in Saxony-Anhalt, attention shifts to Berlin
Central and Eastern Europe is losing groundwater, WMO says. A third of monitored wells worldwide were below normal, not two-thirds
Operation Giezi: police detain ten people. TV Markíza reports fraud worth over €20 million
Mirror publisher cuts 220 editorial jobs. Traffic from Google Discover fell 46 percent in the second half of 2025
At least 67 people died in the collapse of a gold mine in Sudan. According to a local official, only a single forklift is available for the search for those buried
What Czechia is writing about: Babiš backs down to Pavel, but the conflict of interest remains unresolved. The justice minister clashed with the top prosecutor
