Thorsten Frei was elected chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group with 91.9 percent of the vote, formalizing his ascent after Chancellor Friedrich Merz nominated him for the role. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dismissed Frei from his post as head of the Chancellery and swore in Nina Warken as his successor, alongside new health minister Carsten Linnemann and transport minister Steffen Bilger.
The leadership change follows Jens Spahn's resignation in mid-July after public criticism over his use of a surrogate mother in the United States. Merz has enacted eight personnel changes in the week and a half since Spahn's departure, though the parliamentary group still needs to fill posts for chief whip, deputy leader and treasurer.