German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announces a cabinet and leadership reshuffle ahead of upcoming state elections, according to multiple reports. Nina Warken, currently Germany’s health minister, is set to succeed Thorsten Frei as chief of staff, taking charge of the chancellery role that connects the chancellery, federal ministries and lawmakers. Warken is expected to become the first woman to hold the chief of staff position in postwar Germany, as described by outlets covering the change.
In the related personnel move, Carsten Linnemann—who has been serving as general secretary of Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU)—is expected to take over Warken’s former post as health minister. The reshuffle therefore realigns leadership roles across party administration and government ministries, with the chancellery chief of staff change at its center.
The reported appointments are presented as part of Merz’s broader government reorganization, with details limited to the key office transitions described by the outlets.
