German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has called on voters to resist external influences and ensure that next year’s election is shaped by their collective decisions rather than the preferences of “owners of social media channels.”
His remarks come amidst mounting concerns over billionaire Elon Musk’s open endorsements of the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
In a televised New Year’s Eve address, Scholz emphasised that only German citizens should determine the country’s direction after the general election scheduled for 23 February.
“It will not be decided by the owners of social media channels,” Scholz stated, asserting that Germany’s future depends on the “vast majority of reasonable and decent people.”
According to The Guardian, without directly naming Musk or his platform, X, Scholz urged Germans to reject disinformation and manipulation, particularly on social media.
Reflecting on recent online rumours following the 20 December car attack in Magdeburg, he noted, “No small number of these rumours and conjectures… have meanwhile been debunked. These things divide and weaken us.”
The attack, which claimed five lives and injured over 200 people, was reportedly carried out by a Saudi-born man with far-right sympathies, further fuelling online misinformation. Scholz lamented the divisive nature of such content, describing it as harmful to Germany’s unity.
Meanwhile, Scholz’s spokesperson, Christiane Hoffmann, explicitly accused Musk of attempting to meddle in Germany’s election campaign by advocating for the AfD, which is classified as a suspected extremist group by federal authorities.
“It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election,” Hoffmann said, while acknowledging his right to free speech.
Musk’s involvement has sparked widespread criticism across Germany’s political spectrum. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach described Musk’s actions as “undignified and highly problematic,” while opposition leader Friedrich Merz called the interference “intrusive and presumptuous.”
Musk, who has recently been appointed to co-lead a US commission on government downsizing under President-elect Donald Trump, has defended his support for the AfD.
Sharing a video by German rightwing influencer Naomi Seibt, Musk wrote, “Only the AfD can save Germany,” and argued in an editorial for Welt am Sonntag that Germany was on the brink of economic and cultural collapse. The editorial prompted the resignation of the newspaper’s opinion section editor, Eva Marie Kogel, in protest.
The AfD, currently polling second at 19%, trails behind the CDU/CSU bloc on 31%. Analysts predict a strong AfD performance could complicate coalition negotiations, with mainstream parties ruling out collaboration with the far-right group.
