New German ministers appointed amid turmoil in Merz's conservatives

Germany's centre-right government underwent a Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday after the resignation of a senior conservative politician over his decision to become a parent through surrogacy.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier formally appointed Nina Warken as head of the Federal Chancellery, a role comparable to chief of staff to Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Steinmeier also appointed Carsten Linnemann as health minister and Steffen Bilger as transport minister, handing the three politicians their certificates of appointment in Berlin.

Warken succeeds Thorsten Frei, who was elected later on Wednesday as leader of Merz's conservative parliamentary bloc. Lawmakers from the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), backed Frei with 91.9% of the vote in a special meeting.

Under Germany's constitution, new ministers are required to take the oath of office before the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. However, because parliament is in its summer recess, the swearing-in is not expected to take place until lawmakers return, likely on September 9.

Before the appointments, Steinmeier urged the government to press ahead with reforms, saying Germany faced major challenges from wars and geopolitical conflicts, new responsibilities within the European Union and NATO, and a prolonged period of economic stagnation.

Criticism of reshuffle

The reshuffle prompted criticism from some regional CDU leaders, particularly over Merz's decision to dismiss Patrick Schnieder, the transport minister, who hails from the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

At party meetings on Monday, some CDU officials openly criticized Merz's handling of the situation.

Heiko Strohmann, the CDU's leader in the city-state of Bremen, told the chancellor: "You're not running a company here, but a political party." In an interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper published on Wednesday, he added: "I don't want to say the mood is catastrophic. But it's heading in that direction."

The criticism fuelled speculation that dissatisfaction within the conservative bloc could hurt Frei's election as parliamentary leader. However, his 91.9% result suggested the discontent has not spread widely among CDU/CSU lawmakers.

The shake-up comes as Merz's government struggles in opinion polls ahead of three high-stakes state elections in September, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to make significant gains.

Surrogacy row triggers party crisis

The immediate trigger for the personnel changes was the resignation this month of Jens Spahn as leader of the conservatives' parliamentary group after he disclosed that he and his husband had become parents through surrogacy in the United States.

Surrogacy is banned in Germany, and Merz's CDU has long opposed legalizing the practice, including Spahn himself.

Following sharp criticism from fellow conservatives and pressure from Merz, Spahn stepped down.

The reshuffle extends beyond the Cabinet. Since Spahn's resignation, Merz has ordered eight personnel changes across the government, the CDU leadership and the conservative parliamentary group, while several senior party and parliamentary posts still need to be filled.