Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) faces intense criticism from the opposition both within and outside the Bundestag regarding his ongoing government realignment. Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD, told the “Welt,” that the collection of “inconvenience solutions” is not a turning point toward freedom but merely the last desperate effort of a failed head of government. She asserted that the chaos surrounding this mishandled cabinet restructuring further proves that Merz and his government have completely depleted their capacity. Weidel also claimed that Merz struggles to find staff for the government, stating he promotes affirmative followers and unconditional sycophants to high-ranking security positions near the Chancellor’s office while making others scapegoats for his failures.
On Friday, Merz announced several cabinet changes. Among these, Carsten Linnemann, the current CDU General Secretary, is set to follow the Acting Health Minister Nina Warken, who is expected to become Head of the Chancellery. Temporarily, Patrick Schnieder, the Minister of Transport, was reportedly to be dismissed by Merz, but he has remained in office for now.
The appointment of Linnemann as Health Minister drew particular fire from the AfD chairperson. Weidel pointed out that Linnemann himself had confirmed back in May 2025 that he was “out of place” in his new role. She argued that one cannot expect him to correct the flaws of his predecessor’s health reforms-reforms that penalized taxpayers and service providers with higher payments and benefit cuts, yet failed to curb the multi-billion euro outflow to imported healthcare recipients.
The League of Left (Die Linke) views Linnemann’s placement in the health ministry as a provocative “declaration of war.” Sören Pellmann, the left-wing faction chief, told the “Welt” that Linnemann represents a dismantling of the social state, described as “headless and at any cost,” and added that his specialist knowledge is limited, leading to fears of serious consequences for any pending reforms.
Meanwhile, the brief removal of the Minister of Transport, without a clearly secured successor, was deemed “highly unprofessional” by Pellmann, who continued to state that Merz has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of professionalism and essential intuition for his role. However, Schnieder’s record as Transport Minister is acknowledged to have been “extremely unsatisfactory.” Instead of developing a clear strategy for ensuring affordable mobility across the country, the focus was primarily on ideologically managing scarcity. Pellmann further expressed the expectation that any replacement for Schnieder from the CDU must deliver serious improvements.
Sahra Wagenknecht views the “Linnemann case” as a detriment to democracy. The BSW co-founder told the “Welt” that it is unacceptable for any person lacking competence to become a minister in Germany. She asserted that in real life, every candidate must prove their knowledge and skills to their future employer, a standard that is missing in politics. Linnemann would reportedly be the first minister to resign before his oath of office. If this trend continues, she warned, the older political parties are destroying the last vestiges of public trust in politics. Wagenknecht called for a new governing model, where “genuine experts” lead as ministers within alternating coalitions, ensuring no party is excluded. Following the elections in the East, she stated that the BSW advocates for a “competence cabinet instead of the Linnemann model.”
