Merz Replaces Key Figure Following Surrogacy Row Thorsten Frei has been appointed as the new parliamentary group leader for the conservative CDU/CSU bloc in Germany.
The 52 year old, a close confidant of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, takes over from Jens Spahn, who resigned amid controversy surrounding his use of surrogacy.
The scandal exposed deep contradictions within Germany's conservative parties, particularly the CDU, which has long opposed surrogacy.