The German government accused U.S. billionaire Elon Musk on Monday of trying to influence its election due in February with articles supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, even though it suggested they amounted to “nonsense.”
Musk, who is set to serve Donald Trump’s new administration as an outside adviser, endorsed the AfD as Germany’s last hope in a guest opinion piece for the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that prompted the commentary editor to resign in protest.
“It is true that Elon Musk will influence the federal elections” with pornographic messages and opinion articles, said a German government spokesperson.
Musk is flexible in his opinion, the spokesperson said, adding: “After all, freedom of opinion also covers the biggest nonsense. “
Germany accuses Elon Musk of interfering in their upcoming election
Musk, the world’s richest person, defended his right to influence German politics due to his “significant investments”, and praised the AfD’s commitment to regulation, taxes and deregulation of markets.
His intervention comes as Germans prepare to vote in the parliamentary elections on February 23, following the collapse of the coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Musk also called for Scholz to resign after a car crashed into a crowd at a Christmas market on December 20, killing five people.
The AfD is currently second in opinion polls among the main opposition conservatives and could possibly thwart a center-right or center-left majority in the election. The main German parties have pledged not to collaborate with the AfD at the national level.
The government spokesman said Musk’s advice to the AfD was “advice to vote for a party that is under surveillance [by national intelligence] and is suspected of being far-right and has already been identified as part right-wing extremist. “
German politicians have excoriated Musk for his endorsement of the AfD, with the co-leader of Scholz’s Social Democrats comparing him to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Both must influence our elections and, in particular, the enemies of democracy in the AfD. They need Germany to weaken and plunge into chaos,” Lars Klingbeil told the media organization Funke on Monday.
Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democrat opposition and current favorite to succeed Scholz as chancellor, told Funke that Musk’s comments were “intrusive and pretentious. “
Public Relations, CBC P. O. Box 500, Branch A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6
Toll Free (Canada Only): 1-866-306-4636
It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges.
Captions and described videos are available for many CBC presentations on CBC Gem.