The German government accused American billionaire Elon Musk on Monday of meddling in the upcoming February election after he threw his support behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in X-posts and an opinion piece published by Welt am newspaper. Sonntag.
German leaders accused Musk, who claimed the AfD is the only party that can “save” Germany, of trying to “influence the federal election” as the country heads to snap elections amid political turmoil next month.
So what happened and what does it all mean?
Why did Germany announce early elections?
Since 2013, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) has governed Germany, which is Europe’s largest economy, leading various coalition governments.
However, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz of the SPD, lost a vote of confidence in parliament on 16 December.
The vote, tabled by Scholz himself in what appears to be an attempt to trigger snap elections, came after the fall of Germany’s ruling coalition government led by Scholz and the SPD. The government was thrown into turmoil when Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner in November after months of disagreements over Germany’s budget.
Analysts say Scholz fully expected to lose the vote but wanted to trigger an early election, which he sees as his party’s last chance to cling to any power. Before Monday’s vote, Scholz said the election would be an opportunity to set the country on a new course.
After the vote of no confidence, the German parliament was dissolved by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the SPD on Friday and snap elections were called for February 23, 2025, seven months before parliamentary elections were originally held.
What is AfD?
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is considered to be a far-right populist party in Germany. It was founded in 2013 and held 76 of the 733 seats in the German parliament, or Bundestag, before the dissolution.
The AfD is a Eurosceptic party, meaning it is critical of Germany’s integration into the European Union.
The AfD is also openly critical of Islam and opposes mass immigration. The party opposed former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s welcoming stance towards immigrants coming from the Middle East and Africa. In 2015, under Merkel’s leadership, more than 1 million refugees arrived in Germany.
In September this year, the AfD won a key election for the eight-seat Landtag of the eastern state of Thuringia with 32.8 percent of the vote, marking the first state election victory for a far-right party since World War II.
The AfD nominated party leader Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor in early December. The appointment is largely symbolic as the party is unlikely to win a majority. After the Bundestag is elected, it votes for the chancellor. To become chancellor, a candidate must receive votes from more than half of parliament.
For the upcoming election, the latest polls put the AfD in second place with 19 percent of the electorate’s support as of Dec. 28, according to Politico. In first place, with 30 percent, is the conservative coalition consisting of the center-right parties, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU).
The previous governing group, the SPD, is in third place, with 17 percent support predicted.
The main parties have refused to work with the AfD in government, but it is still expected to form the largest opposition in parliament after the next election.
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 Trump, extended his support for the AfD in an opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag, a German Sunday newspaper. The paper is published by media group Axel Springer, which also owns the US-based political website Politico.
Musk’s article was published online on Sunday. Translated, it reads: “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremists is patently false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a Sri Lankan same-sex partner! Does he look like Hitler to you? Please!”
He wrote that Germany is on the “brink of economic and cultural collapse” and “the 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 on the country.
Saying that Germany’s traditional parties have failed in Germany, Musk wrote: “The AfD, although described as far-right, represents a political realism that resonates with many Germans who feel their concerns are being ignored by the establishment.”
Has Musk backed other right-wing figures?
Musk has openly supported other far-right figures recently, including Nigel Farage of the UK’s Reform Party and Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On Thursday, Musk posted on X campaigning for the release of UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Robinson was jailed for 18 months in October 2024 after making false allegations against a Syrian refugee schoolboy.
Musk, who was born in South Africa but is also a naturalized US citizen, has also been known to be involved in US politics and was a prominent part of Trump’s presidential campaign. Last month, Trump dismissed claims that he had “taken the presidency away” from Musk.
How did the Germans react?
“It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election,” German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said at a regular media briefing on Monday.
“After all, freedom of thought covers even the biggest follies.”
Friedrich Merz, the leader of the opposition Christian Democrats and the current favorite to be elected chancellor in the next election, described Musk’s words as “intrusive and pretentious” in an interview with German newspaper Funke Media Group.
“I cannot recall a comparable case of interference, in the history of Western democracies, in the election campaign of a friendly country,” Merz said.
“In Elon Musk’s world, democracy and workers’ rights are obstacles to more profits,” SPD co-leader Saskia Esken told Reuters. “We say quite clearly: Our democracy is defensible and cannot be bought.”
Shortly after Musk’s article was published, Eva Marie Kogel, opinion editor at Welt am Sonntag, announced her resignation at X.
“Always enjoyed running the opinion section,” Kogel wrote in an X post on Dec. 28. “Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. Yesterday I submitted my resignation after it went to press.”
