DEUTSCHLAND: Nach Spahn-Rücktritt! Polit-Insiderin verrät! "So heißt es aus internen CDU-Kreisen!"

GERMANY: After Spahn's Resignation! Political Insider Reveals! "That's what's being said in internal CDU circles!" Following the resignation of Jens Spahn, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group is searching for a new leader. Chancellor Merz wants to resolve the matter before his vacation. There is intense speculation about possible successors. After the resignation of CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn (CDU), Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to quickly resolve the succession issue. Merz aims to make a decision before his planned vacation, which begins at the end of July. This information was obtained by the German Press Agency (dpa) from sources close to the CDU leader. Since Spahn's resignation, personnel speculation within the CDU/CSU has been running rampant. Chief of Staff Thorsten Frei (CDU) is most frequently mentioned as a possible successor. Will Frei return from the Chancellery to the parliamentary group? Frei served as Parliamentary Secretary under then-Parliamentary Group Leader and Opposition Leader Merz during the last legislative period and is therefore very familiar with the work at the top of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. The 52-year-old was already being considered for the parliamentary group leadership after the 2025 federal election. However, Merz ultimately brought his close confidant into the Chancellery. There, he has struggled to establish himself. Some within the CDU/CSU alliance accuse Frei of preferring to give interviews rather than coordinate coalition work. During the reform package, the parliamentary group leaders themselves took on this task. Many believe that parliamentary group work is a better fit for Frei. With him, Merz would have a loyal confidant at the head of the parliamentary group and could simultaneously inject new energy into the Chancellery. The most frequently mentioned candidate for the position of Chief of Staff is Günter Krings, the deputy parliamentary group leader and head of the powerful North Rhine-Westphalia regional group in the Bundestag. Besides Frei, General Secretary Carsten Linnemann, who, like Spahn, comes from North Rhine-Westphalia, would also be a possible candidate for parliamentary group leader. He has only been able to develop his potential to a limited extent as General Secretary under Merz. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) is also being mentioned as a possibility – he is considered the most successful cabinet member. However, this very fact is likely to argue against a change. Furthermore, Dobrindt has proven that he can effectively pull the strings from his current position regarding the overall structure of the coalition. The parliamentary group leader of the CDU/CSU alliance in the Bundestag is traditionally nominated by the two party leaders of the CDU and CSU – Merz and Markus Söder – who intend to remain in contact over the weekend. Important upcoming dates: Today, Sunday, Merz will give his summer interview to ZDF. Tomorrow, the CDU executive committee will meet. Whether Merz will be able to present a nomination then is considered uncertain. The new chairman will be elected by the parliamentary group. A special session during the summer recess is possible. The first regular parliamentary group meeting afterward is not until September 8. The CDU parliamentary group will then elect its chairman. Three important state elections are coming up If a decision isn't reached quickly enough, personnel discussions could dominate the coming weeks, even though the Chancellor and his CDU/CSU-SPD coalition had hoped for a positive and calm start to the summer recess with their recently launched reform package. Furthermore, state elections are scheduled for September in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Berlin. A drawn-out process would be unwelcome to the campaigners. The AfD is clearly in first place in the polls in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt – and far ahead of the CDU. Controversy surrounding surrogacy in the USA Spahn and his husband, Daniel Funke, announced on Wednesday that they had become parents. A surrogate mother in the USA gave birth to baby Georg. In the following days, criticism mounted, even within the ranks of the CDU/CSU. The criticism of Spahn was so loud because surrogacy is illegal in Germany, and Spahn's party is clearly opposed to legalization, as Spahn himself has been in the past. #merz #spahn #cdu #weltnewschannel 🔔 Subscribe to our WELT-TV news channel!    / weltvideotv   Our YouTube channels: 📺 WELT DOKU    / @weltdoku   ⚽ WELT SPORT    / @welt-sport   🚀 WELT SPACE    / @weltspace   🛣️ WELT DRIVE    / @weltdrive   🪖 WELT HISTORY    / @welthistory   🍝 WELT FOOD    / @welt.food-rezepte   WELT News Live Stream http://bit.ly/2fwuMPg Our Top News on WELT.de http://bit.ly/2rQQD9Q Our Media Library on WELT.de http://bit.ly/2Iydxv8 WELT TV on...