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Elon Musk has entered the German election campaign in support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, marking the latest intervention of the American billionaire businessman in global politics.
Muska close adviser to Donald Trump, on Friday also posted a video made by a German right-wing activist, adding: “Only the AfD can save Germany.” Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD, responded: “Yes! You are absolutely right.”
I AfDdescribed as a suspect organization by Germany's domestic intelligence, is poised for big gains in elections scheduled for February 23. The vote, triggered by the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition last month, comes as Europe's biggest economy is under severe pressure.
Polls are suggestive if the AfD can secure about 19 percent of the vote, it follows the Christian Democrats (CDU) led by Friedrich Merz, which is estimated to win about 30 percent.
Musk has used X to express his political views and promote positive voices. Since buying the platform in 2022, the Tesla and SpaceX chief has criticized liberal leaders in countries including the UK, Brazil and Australia, while showing support for populist leaders such as Argentina's Javier Milei.
After meeting Musk in Florida, Nigel Farage on Tuesday said the billionaire was giving “deep thought” to making a donation to his Reform UK group.
Germany has been the focus of Musk's comments: he has mocked former Chancellor Angela Merkel and. we are looked down upon Social Democratic candidate Scholz. But he has shown interest in AfD politicians such as Björn Höcke, the controversial nationalist who led the party to an election victory in eastern Thuringia in September.
On Friday Musk also posted a video of Naomi Seibt, a 24-year-old climate change skeptic called the “anti-Greta Thunberg”, criticizing Merz for ruling out an alliance with the AfD.
A spokesman for Merz declined to comment. A government spokesman said they were “beware”.
Despite Musk's support, the AfD remains unlikely to govern in Germany, as all other parties have said they will not cooperate with it. Founded in 2013 amid the Eurozone debt crisis, the group has evolved into a nationalist, anti-immigration movement advocating Germany's exit from the EU.
Germany's domestic intelligence agency has designated its branches in Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt as “rightwing extremist”.
Some of its politicians have sparked controversy. Höcke was fined €30,000 this year by two separate courts for using banned Nazi slogans. In 2017 he described the Holocaust memorial in Berlin as a “monument of shame”.
In a- the interview and the Financial Times in May, AfD MEP Maximilian Krah said about the SS, the group that ran Adolf Hitler's extermination camps: “Before I call someone a criminal, I would like to know what he himself did.”
Additional reporting by Laura Pitel and Guy Chazan