The official election of the 52-year-old CDU politician from the Black Forest is scheduled for next Wednesday during a special session of the parliamentary group in Berlin. Frei was already considered a candidate for the parliamentary group leadership after the 2025 federal election, but at Merz’s request, he moved to the Chancellery instead.
Frei is no newcomer to parliamentary group operations: in the previous legislative term, he served as parliamentary secretary under then-opposition leader Merz. He is considered a close confidant of the chancellor. Until the new election, CSU regional group leader Alexander Hoffmann is temporarily managing the parliamentary group’s affairs.
The previous parliamentary group leader, Jens Spahn, resigned over the weekend after massive criticism of his founding a family through a surrogate mother in the United States. Surrogacy is prohibited in Germany, and Spahn himself had spoken out against legalization. After talks with Merz, the 46-year-old announced his resignation.
Source: www.zeit.de
