Jens Spahn, the parliamentary leader of the ruling conservative bloc in the German parliament, stepped down on Saturday amid a controversy surrounding his decision to have a child via surrogacy.
The resignation was requested by Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU).
Surrogacy is not permitted in Germany and the CDU opposes its legalization. Spahn and his husband had their child through a surrogate mother in the United States.
What has Spahn said?
“In recent days, I have come to realize that my personal happiness in starting a family with my husband and becoming a father is incompatible with my political office,” Spahn said in a statement seen by news agencies.
“Credibility is the highest good in politics,” Spahn added.
After the announcement, Chancellor Merz said it was the “right” decision, adding it was “unavoidable” that Spahn step down.
Merz went on to explain that he would now work with Markus Söder, the leader of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) to put forward a proposal for a new parliamentary group chair.
“The procedure and timeline will now be coordinated with the party and parliamentary group committees,” he said.
More to come…
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