Hoppermann Is Set to Become CDU Secretary-General

Franziska Hoppermann, a member of the Bundestag and the CDU’s former treasurer, is set to become her party’s new secretary-general. Chancellor and party leader Friedrich Merz nominated her during a meeting of the CDU Executive Committee in Berlin, according to information obtained by the German Press Agency from participants. The Hamburg native is set to succeed Carsten Linnemann, who is slated to become Federal Minister of Health.

Hoppermann is expected to be elected by the party executive committee this morning. She will then serve in an interim capacity until she is confirmed at the next party convention. At 12:00 p.m., Merz will announce the appointment at a press conference.

Connemann is set to move to the Ministry of Digital Affairs

According to consistent dpa reports from the Union, further personnel appointments have also been finalized within the federal government. Gitta Connemann, currently Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, is set to move to the same position at the Ministry of Digital Affairs. She is to be replaced at the Ministry of Economic Affairs by Johannes Steiniger, a member of the Bundestag and Secretary General of the CDU in Rhineland-Palatinate—apparently also as compensation for the planned dismissal of Transportation Minister Patrick Schnieder, who hails from Rhineland-Palatinate.

Minister of State for Sports to Move to the Ministry of Health

Christiane Schenderlein, Minister of State for Sports in the Chancellery, is set to become Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Health, replacing Tino Sorge. Her successor in the Chancellery has not yet been determined. It has been known for several days that the Saxon is not expected to remain in the Chancellery. This caused massive discontent among the eastern German state associations.

Hamburg native set to become CDU manager

But the most significant personnel move of the day is Hoppermann. She is no stranger to the CDU, but she is to the broader public. That will now change, however, because as the party’s secretary-general, the woman from Hamburg will inevitably be in the public eye. As federal treasurer, she has worked behind the scenes until now, though she was also a member of the CDU Executive Committee.

The business graduate has represented the Hamburg-Wandsbek district in the Bundestag since 2021. She serves on the Budget Committee and the Committee on Digital Affairs and State Modernization. She also chairs the Corona Study Commission, which is tasked with helping to better prepare Germany for potential pandemics.

Multi-part personnel package

Since the resignation of Bundestag parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn (CDU) a little over a week ago, Merz has been putting together a major personnel package:

• Thorsten Frei, the former head of the Chancellor’s Office, is set to be elected as Spahn’s successor on Wednesday.
• Health Minister Nina Warken will take over his position at the government headquarters; she will be replaced by Linnemann. 
• Philipp Amthor, the former State Secretary for Digital Affairs, will become Minister of State for Federal-State Relations in the Chancellery.
• Steffen Bilger, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Union parliamentary group, will replace Transportation Minister Schnieder, with whom Merz was dissatisfied. 

Bilger Looks Forward to Returning to the Ministry

Bilger is considered a proven transportation expert; he served for years on the Bundestag’s specialized committee and later served as Parliamentary State Secretary in the ministry. He is looking forward to returning there, Bilger wrote on X that evening: “Transportation policy has been my main focus for many years.”

Discontent over the handling of Schnieder

There is particular discontent within the Union over the handling of Schnieder. Merz had already informed Schnieder on Thursday that he intended to dismiss him. However, due to the last-minute withdrawal of Fritz Güntzler, the member of the Bundestag who was slated to succeed him, this was not communicated for three days. On Sunday, Schnieder then asked to be dismissed himself in order to end the “undignified situation.”

Former Head of the Chancellor’s Office Peter Altmaier (CDU) wrote on X over the weekend what many active Union politicians are saying behind closed doors: The way Schnieder has been treated saddens and angers him and does not do justice to either the person of the still-serving transportation minister or his performance. Schnieder’s brother, Rhineland-Palatinate Minister-President Gordon Schnieder (CDU), shared the post—a sign of support—but did not comment on it himself.

Saxony-Anhalt’s campaigning Minister-President Sven Schulze expressed dissatisfaction with the stalemate. “It didn’t exactly go well,” the CDU’s top candidate said on Deutschlandfunk. It is “almost impossible to focus on state issues at the campaign trail under these circumstances.” “That is why it is not only my wish but also my demand that this issue—or these issues, which must still be finalized or announced today—be brought to a close.”

Söder Defends Merz

Members of the Bundestag and high-ranking party officials are also speaking of procedural errors and a “disaster” for which Merz is responsible. CSU leader Markus Söder, however, defended Merz over the weekend. He places the blame for the stalemate on Güntzler. “When you agree with someone in the evening that they’ll come, and then hear at 4:00 a.m. that it’s not going to work out, that doesn’t always make things any easier. So the responsibility certainly doesn’t lie with the chancellor,” the Bavarian Minister-President said on ZDF.