Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a Cabinet reshuffle on Friday after CDU parliamentary leader Jens Spahn resigned over a surrogacy controversy. Carsten Linnemann, until now CDU general secretary, will replace Nina Warken as health minister. Nina Warken will move into the chancellor's office as Merz's new chief of staff, becoming the first woman to hold that role. Philipp Amthor was presented as minister of state for managing relations between the federal government and Germany's 16 states. Merz said he will name further cabinet changes in the coming days; German outlets have also reported Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder may step down and tipped CDU treasurer Franziska Hoppermann as a possible new general secretary. The announcement follows Merz appointing his previous chief of staff, Thorsten Frei, to fill a vacancy earlier this week and comes amid low approval ratings for Merz while Germany faces prolonged economic stagnation.
