Thorsten Frei, a close confidant of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has been nominated to lead the parliamentary group of Germany's conservative CDU/CSU bloc. The position is one of the most powerful in German politics, overseeing 208 lawmakers in the Bundestag.

The 52-year-old Frei currently serves as head of the Chancellery, effectively Merz's right-hand man. He is scheduled to be formally elected by the parliamentary group at a special session on July 29, when his successor at the Chancellery is also expected to be named.

Frei is described as friendly, approachable, and a skilled mediator. A trained lawyer, he has been married to a teacher for 20 years and has three children. Before entering federal politics, he served as mayor of Donaueschingen for nine years.

In his previous role, Frei was responsible for ensuring the chancellor's agenda ran smoothly, clearing obstacles, and briefing Merz on daily appointments. Critics, however, argued that Frei sometimes preferred giving interviews rather than quietly coordinating behind the scenes.

As parliamentary group leader, Frei will take center stage, explaining party positions in parliament and media, securing majorities for government policies, and maintaining unity within the group. This is a challenging task, as outgoing leader Jens Spahn struggled to preserve the government's slim 18-seat majority.

Spahn resigned last week after a scandal: he and his husband used a surrogate mother in the US to have a child, which is illegal in Germany. The CDU has repeatedly supported the ban on surrogacy, and Spahn was accused of hypocrisy, damaging the party's credibility.

Frei's nomination has been welcomed by the coalition partner SPD. Dirk Wiese, parliamentary secretary of the SPD group, praised Frei as knowledgeable and easy to negotiate with, based on their previous collaboration.

Source: www.dw.com