rki.news | Sources: Xinhua
BERLIN, July 24: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a major cabinet reshuffle on Friday, appointing Nina Warken as the new head of the Federal Chancellery and Carsten Linnemann as health minister.
Warken, previously serving as federal health minister, will replace Thorsten Frei as Chancellery head and minister for special tasks. Frei had been nominated to lead the parliamentary group of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc following Jens Spahn’s resignation.
Linnemann, who served as CDU general secretary, will take charge of the health ministry. Philipp Amthor was also appointed as minister of state responsible for federal and state relations in the Chancellery.
Merz said the cabinet restructuring process was not yet complete, with further changes expected in the coming period.
The reshuffle followed Spahn’s resignation from his parliamentary leadership role after controversy surrounding his decision to become a father through surrogacy abroad. His departure prompted wider changes within Merz’s government team.
The German chancellor said the new appointments aim to strengthen government coordination and improve administrative performance.