Outgoing Health State Secretary Tino Sorge has criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the manner of his dismissal. Christiane Schenderlein will take over the post in the Health Ministry.
Sorge wrote on X that he took note of the decision. He criticized, however, that Merz had announced it first in party bodies and to the press instead of holding a personal conversation.
Schenderlein, previously Minister of State for Sport and Volunteering, is moving as parliamentary state secretary to the Health Ministry under new Minister Carsten Linnemann. She comes from Saxony and has no particular experience in the health sector.
Saxony-Anhalt's Minister President Sven Schulze described the personnel reshuffle as not necessarily going well. Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer expressed surprise and praised Schenderlein's work on the sports promotion law and the top sports agency.
Schenderlein highlighted overlaps such as sports movement promotion and cooperation with welfare associations. Eastern German CDU associations expressed annoyance at the decision.
