CDU leader Merz replaces deputy secretary-general Stumpp after Saxony-Anhalt election loss

Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s center-right CDU, parted ways with his deputy secretary-general Christina Stumpp on Friday, days after the party’s electoral defeat in Saxony-Anhalt. The CDU announced that Stumpp, 38, will step down from her role on Sept. 21, 2026, following “personal conversations” between her and Merz. Merz plans to propose Michael Hose, a Bundestag member from Thuringia, as her interim successor .
Stumpp had denied reports earlier this week that Merz had urged her to resign, calling them “inaccurate” in a post on X. She was elected to the newly created deputy secretary-general position in September 2022, tasked with strengthening ties between the party’s Berlin headquarters and local branches, as well as supporting municipal election campaigns .
Merz praised Stumpp’s work over the past four years but emphasized the need to better represent eastern Germany in the party’s leadership. Hose, a former school principal from Erfurt, would bring “important perspectives” to the role, Merz said . The position was originally created by Merz to ensure gender balance in the party’s top ranks after he appointed male secretaries-general .
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