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Politico (21 July 2026)

Nette NÖSTLINGER

Jens Spahn’s departure initially looked like a setback, but it allows Merz to get rid of a political rival and stabilize his coalition. 

The resignation of one of Friedrich Merz’s most important party stalwarts in Berlin is turning into an unexpected political gift for the German chancellor.

Jens Spahn, parliamentary leader of Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), quit on Saturday after he and his husband admitted they used a surrogate mother in the U.S. to become parents, despite the practice being banned in Germany.

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