After Spahn's Resignation: Union Seeks New Faction Leader and Plans Further Personnel Changes

Background: The Trigger for the Resignation

Bild newspaper had reported on Wednesday about the birth of Spahn's son. According to the report, spontaneous meetings of regional and local CDU bodies were then convened on Friday. According to information from CDU circles, Spahn received little to no support there.

North Rhine-Westphalian Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, chairman of Spahn's state association, also expressed his regret over the decision on Saturday: "Ich bedaure diesen Schritt persönlich sehr und kann ihn zugleich gut nachvollziehen". The German Press Agency had previously reported from the party chair's circle that Merz had ultimately demanded the resignation. The Bild text stated that Spahn had "Friedrich Merz bereits vor einigen Tagen persönlich informiert".

Until the election of a new chairman, First Parliamentary Managing Director Alexander Hoffmann (CSU) will manage the faction's affairs on an interim basis. He is also CSU state group leader and will take over the leadership initially on a transitional basis.

Discussion About a Chancellor Change

In recent days, speculation had also circulated within the Union about a possible change of chancellor. CDU Secretary-General Carsten Linnemann, who is also deputy faction chairman, described this discussion as a "Scheindebatte". According to CDU information, Linnemann had made a constructive contribution to the party's basic program and had impressed Merz by balancing the various wings.

Possible Successors Under Discussion

Several politicians are being considered as promising candidates for the faction chairmanship. An "innovativer Move" is also being speculated about within the Union faction: current Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) as faction chairman. Dobrindt was formerly CSU Secretary-General, architect of the car toll, and Federal Transport Minister and minister in a government of Angela Merkel.

Federal Chancellery Minister Thorsten Frei (CDU) is also being discussed as a possible successor. He had worked in opposition as Parliamentary Managing Director under Merz and was able to establish a profile particularly in interior and migration policy. After the Bundestag election, he had hoped for the faction chairmanship, but Merz decided otherwise. Should Dobrindt take over the faction, Frei is considered suitable to lead the Interior Ministry.

Günther Krings, a CDU politician from North Rhine-Westphalia who was once State Secretary in the Federal Interior Ministry, is also being discussed as a previously little-noted secret favorite. Last year, Merz had positioned Krings against Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer for the succession at the head of the Adenauer Foundation; however, Krings lost the vote.

Traditionally, the CDU/CSU faction is led by a Christian Democrat; due to its smaller size, the CSU provides the deputy chair. In the almost 80 years of its existence, the faction has never had a chairman from the CSU ranks. A change is considered extremely unlikely within the Union.

Women Underrepresented in Faction Leadership

Among the mentioned possible candidates for the faction chairmanship, there is no woman. In the powerful Executive Faction Committee, only three out of a total of 20 members are female members of parliament. Merz himself has acknowledged, according to information from Union circles, that the Union has catch-up to do on women's representation.

According to Merz's words, the election of the new faction leader should not be rushed before the start of the summer break; he wants to first agree on a candidate with CSU chief and Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder at the end of the summer break. In Union circles, it is also considered possible that the Chancellor could make further personnel changes beyond the faction chairmanship — for example, with state secretaries and senior political officials. As early as April, there had been a difficult phase for the government during the coalition meeting at Villa Borsig.