Germany accuses Elon Musk of trying to interfere in its national elections

German government officials indicted Elon Musk, founder of Tesla on Monday of trying to interfere in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections on behalf of the country’s far-right political party, citing recent social media posts and a weekend comment doubling down on its support.

Musk has sought to present the Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party as the party best positioned to introduce a fiscally responsible economy to Germany, praising the party’s approach to regulations and taxes while strongly defending against the allegations of radicalism and neo- Nazi bonds.

His comments have drawn the ire of top German government officials, who noted on Monday that the timing comes just weeks before Germany’s snap parliamentary elections and which they say are clearly intended to sway a German public, regardless of whether Musk’s message gets through. target

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“It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election,” German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told reporters at a news conference on Monday.

Hoffmann said Musk is free to express his opinion, adding: “After all, freedom of opinion it also covers the biggest nonsense.”

Musk has come under fire for his apparent endorsement of the Alternative for Germany political party just weeks before snap parliamentary elections in February.

Musk blasted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this fall as a “fool.”

Musk also praised the AfD last week on his social media platform, X, writing: “Only the AfD can save Germany.”

Musk doubled down on his support in an op-ed published in the center-right German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

“The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremists is patently false, given that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a Sri Lankan same-sex partner! Do you look like Hitler? Please!” Musk said of AfD co-chair Alice Weidel.

He added that, in his opinion, the AfD “can lead the country to a future where economic prosperitycultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality.”

Those comments have drawn criticism current and former US lawmakersand from Berlin leaders, who highlighted the party’s reputation as a neo-Nazi group.

Hoffman, the German government spokesman, said on Monday that Musk’s endorsement of the AfD was “a recommendation to vote for a party that is being monitored (by national intelligence) on suspicion of being right-wing extremist.” and “which has already been recognized”. as a partly right-wing extremist”.

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, also a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), criticized Musk’s intervention as “undignified and highly problematic”.

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All of Germany’s main political parties have ruled out working with the AfD, and its youth wing was designated a “confirmed extremist” group by Germany’s national intelligence agency earlier this year.

The AfD, for its part, has rejected this characterization.

The retreat of the US i German officials It has done little to dissuade Musk, who used his op-ed to argue that the German economy is crippled by over-regulation and red tape, describing the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as “the ‘last glimmer of hope for this country’.

“Traditional parties have failed in Germany,” Musk wrote in the opinion piece for Germany’s SPD and other mainstream parties. “His policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest and the erosion of national identity.”

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The decision to publish Musks opinion in a center-right newspaper was widely criticized and led Welt am Sonntag opinion editor Eva Marie Kogel to announce her resignation.