(Al Jazeera Media Network) Germany’s government accused US billionaire Elon Musk on Monday of interfering in its upcoming February election after he threw his support behind the party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in X posts and an opinion piece published by the newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
German leaders accused Musk, who claimed that AfD is the only party which can “save” Germany, of trying to “influence the federal election” as the country heads toward snap elections amid political turmoil.
Why has Germany called snap elections?
Since 2013, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) has governed Germany, which is Europe’s largest economy, leading different coalition governments.
However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the SPD lost a confidence vote in parliament on December 16.
The vote, tabled by Scholz himself apparently in a bid to trigger an early election, came after the collapse of the German governing coalition government headed by Scholz and SPD. The government was thrown into turmoil when Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner in November following months of disagreements over Germany’s budget.
Analysts say Scholz fully expected to lose the vote but wanted to trigger earlier elections, which he sees as his party’s last chance to cling to any power. Before Monday’s vote, Scholz said an election would be an opportunity to set the country on a new course.
Following the vote of no confidence, the German parliament was dissolved by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of SPD on Friday, and elections were called for February 23, 2025, seven months before parliamentary elections were originally scheduled to take place.
What is AfD?
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is considered by some to be a far-right populist party in Germany. It was founded in 2013 and was holding 76 seats out of the 733 seats in the German parliament, or Bundestag, before dissolution.
AfD is a Eurosceptic party, which means it is critical of Germany’s integration into the European Union.
AfD is also openly critical of Islam and opposes mass immigration. The party opposed former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s welcoming stance toward immigrants arriving from the Middle East and Africa. In 2015, under Merkel’s leadership, more than 1 million refugees arrived in Germany.
What has Musk said about AfD?
On December 20, Musk posted on X, the social media platform he owns: “Only the AfD can save Germany.”
Musk, who has become a close aide to US President-elect Donald Trump, expanded on his support for the AfD in an opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag, a German Sunday newspaper. The paper is published by the Axel Springer media group, which also owns US-based political site Politico.
Musk’s article was published online on Sunday. Translated, it reads: “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!”
He wrote that Germany is on “the brink of economic and cultural collapse” and “AfD can save Germany from becoming a shadow of its former self.”
Musk wrote that he had “significant investments” in Germany, which gave him the right to comment about the country.
Saying that Germany’s traditional parties have failed in Germany, Musk wrote, “The AfD, even though it is described as far-right, represents a political realism that resonates with many Germans who feel their concerns are ignored by the establishment.”
