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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested Sunday that he could reshuffle his government following the resignation of Jens Spahn, the parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Union.
Spahn quit on Saturday over revelations that he and his husband had a child through a surrogate mother in the United States. Surrogacy is banned in Germany, and the CDU reaffirmed its opposition earlier this year, exposing Spahn, a former health minister and one of the party’s most prominent figures, to accusations of hypocrisy.
“It could be an opportunity to think once again about the lineup of the federal government,” Merz said in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, recorded Sunday ahead of its broadcast in the evening. Merz repeatedly stressed he was describing a possibility, not a plan.
Asked about Thorsten Frei, his chief of staff, whom ZDF has floated as a possible successor to Spahn, Merz declined to confirm any names. Promoting Frei would leave Merz with another senior vacancy to fill.
