German politicians criticize Elon Musk’s support for the AfD as a ‘disturbing’ influence on the election By Reuters
BERLIN (Reuters) – American billionaire Elon Musk drew criticism from German politicians in the government and opposition on Sunday for an opinion he wrote in support of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) which they saw as “disturbing” from outside.
AfD support from Musk, who will serve in US President-elect Donald Trump’s office as a foreign adviser, comes as Germans go to the polls on February 23 after the collapse of the coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The comments, published in German in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, the flagship of the Axel Springer media group, expanded on a post by Musk on social media platform X last week in which he wrote that “only the AfD can save Germany” and praised the party’s approach. in regulation, taxes and deregulation of markets.
In response to the publication of his speech, the editor of the opinion section of this newspaper told X that he had resigned.
Friedrich Merz, leader of the opposition Christian Democrats and who recently succeeded Scholz as chancellor, said in an interview with the Funke Media Group: “I do not remember a similar case of interference, in the history of Western democracy, in an election campaign. friendly country.”
Merz described the comments as “disturbing and hypocritical”.
Saskia Esken, co-leader of Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), has vowed to fight hard against attempts by government actors and the rich and powerful to influence German elections.
“In Elon Musk’s world, democracy and labor rights are obstacles to making more profits,” Esken told Reuters. “We say clearly: Our democracy is secure and cannot be bought.”
The editor-in-chief of Welt defended the decision to publish the speech, saying that democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of opinion, including dissent.
The AfD is in second place in the opinion polls and may be able to block a center-right or center-left majority. Germany’s main parties, particularly focused on promises to shun any support for the AfD at the national level.
