On July 29, local time, the German Bundestag Union Party parliamentary caucus held a special meeting to elect CDU politician Thorsten Frei as the new party group chairman to replace Jens Span, who had previously resigned. Frei, 52, previously served as Minister of the German Chancellery. He has been a member of the Bundestag since 2013 and was a parliamentary affairs officer for the Union Party's parliamentary caucus. With Frei's election, Mertz recently completed a series of personnel adjustments involving the government, within the party, and parliamentary caucuses.

On July 29, local time, the German Bundestag Union Party parliamentary caucus held a special meeting to elect CDU politician Thorsten Frei as the new party group chairman to replace Jens Span, who had previously resigned. Frei, 52, previously served as Minister of the German Chancellor's Office. He has been a member of the Bundestag since 2013 and was a parliamentary affairs officer for the Union Party's parliamentary caucus. With Frei's election, Mertz recently completed a series of personnel adjustments involving the government, within the party, and parliamentary caucuses.