The billionaire Elon Musk has again stirred up political tensions after claiming on his social network X that only the far-right AfD party could "save Germany". The country is in the midst of the campaign for the early elections in February.
Musk reshared a post by German far-right political activist and YouTuber Naomi Seibt, adding "Only the AfD can save Germany".
The AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) is a far-right party known for its anti-immigration, anti-establishment and pro-Russian stances. The party welcomed Musk's support on Friday. "You are absolutely right," posted AfD's co-leader Alice Weidel.
Christiane Hoffmann, a spokesperson for the German government, said in a press conference that this is not the first time that Elon Musk has commented on German politics on his social media platform. "We take note of it. We do not take it into account, we do not pass judgment."
'Completely unacceptable'
Despite several questions, Hoffmann declined to make any value judgment on the message but stressed that the German government was "concerned about the development of the X platform and what is happening there."
Meanwhile, Axel Schäfer, the deputy of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said that Musk's post was "completely unacceptable". Schäfer told the daily Tagesspiegel that his party rejects "any interference in our election campaign."
Polls show that around 19% of voters intend to vote for the AfD in the early election of 23 February, organised following the fall of the tripartite government of Olaf Scholz in early November. The conservatives of CDU/CSU are in the lead with around 32%, while Scholz' SPD is at around 15%. All the parties exclude government cooperation with the AfD.
Musk, who is set to serve in the upcoming Republican administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, has previously waded into British politics, particularly attacking the governing Labour Party. His support for Nigel Farage's far-right Reform UK party is also a source of concern for conservatives.
