Germany accuses Musk of election meddling over AfD support: What we know

After supporting the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), he was accused of interfering with Germany’s upcoming February elections by the German government on Monday in X posts and an opinion piece published in the newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

As Germany prepares for snap elections next month amid political unrest, German leaders accused Musk of trying to “save” the country by claiming that AfD is the only party that can “save” Germany.

What exactly happened and what does it mean?

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, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz of the SPD, lost a confidence vote in parliament on December 16.

Following the demise of the German governing coalition government led by Scholz and SPD, Scholz himself presented the motion, which was apparently intended to trigger an early election. Following months of unrest over the budget, Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner in November.

Analysts claim that Scholz fully anticipated losing the election but intended to derail subsequent elections, which he views as his party’s last chance to cling on to any leadership. Scholz predicted that an election would give the nation a chance to chart a new course before Monday’s vote.

The German parliament was disbanded on Friday by SPD President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and snap elections were held for February 23, 2025, seven months before the original election date for parliamentary elections.

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 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 opposes mass immigration, and it is openly critical of Islam. The opposition to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s welcoming demeanor toward Middle Eastern and African immigrants was. In 2015, under Merkel’s leadership, more than 1 million refugees arrived in Germany.

With 32.8 percent of the vote, AfD won a crucial state election for a far-right party since World War II in September of this year for the eight Landtag seats in the eastern state of Thuringia.

In early December, the AfD announced party leader Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor. Since it is unlikely that the party will win a majority, the nomination is largely symbolic. Once the Bundestag is elected, it votes for the chancellor. To become chancellor, a candidate needs to receive votes from more than half of the parliament.

According to Politico, AfD is in second place with support from 19 percent of the electorate as of December 28 for the upcoming election. The centre-right coalition that includes the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) is in the first place, with 30%, and the CDU has the second place.

The previous governing group, SPD, is in third place, with 17 percent support projected.

AfD is expected to form the largest opposition in parliament following the upcoming elections, but the majority parties have turned down its participation in the government.

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-eleTrumponald Tump, 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! Do you think that sounds like Hitler? Please”!

He claimed that AfD could prevent Germany from resembling its former self because it is “on the verge of economic and cultural collapse”

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”.

Has Musk backed other right-wing figures?

Musk has openly backed other far-right figures recently, including Nigel Farage of the United Kingdom’s Reform party and Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On Thursday, Musk posted on X campaigning for the release of far-right UK activist Tommy Robinson.

After fabricating accusations against a Syrian refugee schoolboy, Robinson was imprisoned for 18 months in October of that year.

Musk, who was a prominent participant in Trump’s presidential campaign, was a naturalized US citizen who was born in South Africa. Last month, Trump refuted claims that he had “ceded the presidency” to Musk.

How have Germans reacted?

At a regular media briefing on Monday, German government spokesman Christiane Hoffmann stated that it is true Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election.

“After all, freedom of opinion also covers the greatest nonsense”.

In an interview with the German newspaper Funke Media Group, Friedrich Merz, the leader of the opposition Christian Democrats, called Musk’s statements “intrusive and pretentious.”

“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 profit”, Saskia Esken, co-leader of SPD told Reuters. “We say quite clearly: Our democracy is defensible and it cannot be bought”.

Shortly after Musk’s piece was published, Eva Marie Kogel, the opinions editor at Welt am Sonntag, announced her resignation on X.

Source: Aljazeera