US tech billionaire Elon Musk on Thursday reiterated his strong support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of the Feb. 23 general elections in Germany.
"If you are unhappy with the situation, you must vote for change. And that is why I'm really strongly recommending that people vote for AfD. That's why that's my strong recommendation. And I think this is simply the sensible move," Musk said in an online talk on X with AfD leader Alice Weidel.
"In fact, I, as I've said publicly, I think only AfD can save Germany. And I just want to be very clear about that: Only AfD can save Germany, end of story. And people really need to get behind the AfD, otherwise things gonna get very, very much worse in Germany," he added.
Musk, who is set to serve as an advisor to US President-elect Donald Trump, triggered strong criticism within Germany's political establishment over his AfD support, particularly after he also insulted President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Last week, the German government accused Musk of attempting to influence the country's election campaign by showing his support for AfD.
While he is free to express his opinion, "in fact, Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election through his statements," deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said at a press briefing in Berlin.
Elections are decided by the voters when they vote and are a German matter, she stressed.
Musk, who also owns social media platform X, had written a guest editorial in the daily WELT newspaper voicing his support for the AfD.
Hoffmann said while "freedom of expression is a valuable asset," one does not have to share his viewpoint.
She pointed out that Musk had suggested voting for a party that was being monitored by the country's domestic intelligence agency (Office for the Protection of the Constitution) as a potential right-wing extremist case.
On Dec. 20, Musk wrote on X that "only the AfD can save Germany."
The AfD is currently running second in nationwide surveys and might be able to thwart either a center-right or center-left majority.
However, Germany's mainstream, more centrist parties have vowed to refuse to form a coalition with the AfD at the national level.
