3 days ago
17
December 30, 2024 | 11:20 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - 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 indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election" with X posts and the opinion piece, a German government spokesperson said.
Musk is free to express his opinion, the spokesperson said, adding: "After all, freedom of opinion also covers the greatest nonsense."
Musk, the world's richest person, has defended his right to weigh in on German politics because of his "significant investments", and has praised the AfD's approach to regulation, taxes, and market deregulation.
His intervention has come as Germans prepare to vote in a parliamentary election on Feb. 23 after the collapse of the coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Musk also called for Scholz's resignation after a car rammed into a crowd at a Christmas market on Dec. 20, killing five people.
The AfD is currently in second place in opinion polls behind the main opposition conservatives and might be able to thwart a center-right or center-left majority in the election. Germany's mainstream parties have pledged not to work with the AfD at the national level.
The government spokesperson said Musk's endorsement of the AfD was "a recommendation to vote for a party that is being monitored (by domestic intelligence) on suspicion of being right-wing extremist and which has already been recognized as partly right-wing extremist".
German politicians have excoriated Musk for his endorsement of the AfD, with the co-leader of Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) comparing him to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Both want to influence our elections and specifically support the AfD's enemies of democracy. They want Germany to be weakened and plunged into chaos," Lars Klingbeil told the Funke news group on Monday.
Friedrich Merz, leader of the opposition Christian Democrats and current favorite to succeed Scholz as chancellor, told Funke that Musk's comments were "intrusive and pretentious".
Editor’s Choice: EU to Probe TikTok Over Election Interference
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
Indonesian DPR to Draft Omnibus Law on Political Bills in 2025
5 jam lalu
The DPR Commission II Chair said the omnibus law will merge several regulatory clusters on politics and elections into a single piece of legislation.
10 Richest People in the World at the End of 2024, NVIDIA Leader Joins the Ranks
3 hari lalu
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, a leading graphics chip manufacturer, has made an entry into the top 10 richest people in the world at the end of 2024.
German Christmas Market Attacker Faces Multiple Charges
7 hari lalu
German police on Saturday, December 21, 2024, revealed that the attacker at a Christmas market faces several charges of murder and attempted murder.
Elon Musk's Net Worth in 2024 Nearly Hits US$500bn, the First in Modern History
8 hari lalu
Has anyone reached 300 billion dollars of wealth? It's Elon Musk. Let's discover Elon Musk's net worth in 2024 and find out what makes him so rich.
German Christmas Market Attacker Charged with Murder, What Was the Motive?
8 hari lalu
A man suspected of driving a car into a German Christmas market faces charges of murder and attempted murder, police said on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.
German Christmas Market Attack Kills Five, Injures 200
9 hari lalu
Authorities are investigating a Saudi man with a history of anti-Islam rhetoric as the suspected driver in a car-ramming attack at a Christmas Market.
Driver Kills at Least Two After Ramming into Crowd at German Christmas Market
9 hari lalu
A driver rammed a car into a large crowd of revelers at a Christmas market in central Germany on Friday evening.
MK to Accept Election Dispute Reports Submitted Past Registration Deadline
10 hari lalu
The deadline for reports of election disputes is set for January 3, 2025.
List of Visa-Free Countries for German Passport Holders
11 hari lalu
German passport is currently the second most powerful in the world. Find out the full list of 192 visa-free countries for Germany here.
The Seed of Opposition from Jakarta
12 hari lalu
Prabowo Subianto refused a demand from the Ridwan Kamil-Suswono pair to challenge the Jakarta gubernatorial election results.
