Anger in Germany over Elon Musk’s support for far-right AfD party

NEWS WIRES

30 December 2024 at 9:36 am·1-min read

Elon Musk listens at a US House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC.

US tech billionaire Elon Musk has provoked anger in Germany with his praise of far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which the government has characterised as an attempt to influence the upcoming parliamentary election. Musk penned an opinion piece in a German paper on Sunday in support of the party, following an earlier post on X.

Germany's government said Monday US billionaire tech baron Elon Musk is trying to sway February elections by praising the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), a move strongly rejected by major parties.

Musk -- a key supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump, and his incoming "efficiency czar" -- posted on his social media platform X this month that "only the AfD can save Germany".

He then doubled down on the claim with an opinion piece in a German Sunday newspaper.

On Monday, German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said that "it is a fact that Elon Musk is trying to exert influence on the parliamentary election".

"In Germany, elections are decided by voters at the ballot box," she told a regular press conference, adding that the country's "elections are a matter for Germans".

Hoffmann said that Musk "is free to express his opinion, but one doesn't have to share it".

(AFP)

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