Elon Musk has been accused of attempting to influence the upcoming German election by government officials following his endorsement of a political party in the running.
On Saturday, an opinion piece written by Musk was published in Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper, in which he endorses the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of Germany’s upcoming elections in February, reported Reuters.
The article is seemingly consistent with opinions regarding German politics Musk has voiced in the past, elaborating on a statement he posted to X earlier this month in which he affirmed his support for AfD.
“Only the AfD can save Germany,” he wrote on Dec. 20.
“It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election,” a spokesperson for the German government, referring to the post and article written and published by Musk, told Reuters.
“After all, freedom of opinion also covers the greatest nonsense,” the spokesperson continued, insinuating that Musk’s opinion is nonsense.
The billionaire has continually weighed in on German politics, justifying this by pointing out that he has made “significant investments” into the country.
“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! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Musk wrote in the opinion piece.
One of Welt am Sonntag’s commentary editors resigned out of protest after Musk’s opinion piece was published.
“Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression. This includes dealing with polarising positions and classifying them journalistically,” the newspaper’s editor-in-chief designate Jan Philipp Burgard and Ulf Poschardt, who will assume the role of publisher on Jan. 1, told Reuters.
“Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally false,” Burgard told the outlet.
Originally published by Latin Times.
