German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier appointed four new cabinet members on Tuesday, formalizing a sweeping reshuffle by Chancellor Friedrich Merz that has failed to quell growing unrest within his Christian Democratic Union.
The appointments follow Patrick Schnieder's dismissal after a botched succession plan and Jens Spahn's resignation over a US surrogacy controversy. Steffen Bilger takes over transport, Carsten Linnemann becomes health minister, and Nina Warken moves to head the Chancellery, while Thorsten Frei replaces Spahn as parliamentary group leader. CDU general secretary Franziska Hoppermann succeeds Linnemann in his previous role.
Public confidence remains stark: 83 percent of Germans view Merz unfavorably after just over a year in power, and only 25 percent expect the reshuffle to improve governance. The CDU/CSU has trailed the AfD by 5–7 points since May, with state elections in September posing a further test as Bremen CDU leader Heiko Strohmann warned of widespread member dissatisfaction.