The leaders of Germany's governing conservatives wasted no time: Just a few days after Jens Spahn resigned as parliamentary group leader following a scandal over surrogacy, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) named its candidate to succeed him: Thorsten Frei.
The 52-year-old, currently serving as head of the chancellery and considered a close confidant of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, is now set take over one of the most important positions in German politics, leading the Bundestag members of both the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).
Frei can only officially take office once he has been elected by the 208 CDU and CSU lawmakers, who are scheduled to interrupt their summer recess on July 29 to convene a special session in the Bundestag. Frei's successor at the chancellery is also expected to have been named by then.
Working behind the scenes wasn't Frei's strength
Friendly, likable, approachable, and a good mediator — that's how Thorsten Frei is often described in Berlin's political circles.
