Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed Thorsten Frei as the new chairman of the Union parliamentary group, replacing Jens Spahn who resigned days earlier citing his desire to start a family.
On July 22 2026 CDU chairman Friedrich Merz and CSU chairman Markus Söder agreed to propose Thorsten Frei as successor to Jens Spahn. Frei, currently serving as head of the chancellery, is set to lead the joint parliamentary group. The group board received an invitation to a digital meeting at 3 pm.
Frei is viewed as a loyal colleague and workhorse who performed well as parliamentary secretary in the past. Merz is relying on trust after speculation in recent days ended.
Within the Union however doubts remain whether this obvious solution is the best. Some see it as a sign of the chancellor's weakness since Frei did not always succeed as chancellery chief.
