Musk is campaigning for the AfD and is planning a conversation with Weidel on X

Actually, the starting signal for the election campaign in Germany was given Traffic light off on November 6th; The election campaigns for the Federal election on February 23rd this weekend: Chancellor Olaf Scholz promises his SPD a “catch-up race” on Sunday in the Willy Brandt House in Berlin, a similar “Scholz miracle” as in 2021. So far, the Social Democrats are between 15 and 18 percent in the polls and are neck and neck. Race with the AfD around the second place behind the CDU.

Their candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merzwill give a speech on Sunday on the 149th birthday of the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic, Konrad Adenauerwhile FDP leader Christian Lindner At the party’s Epiphany meeting, he should not skimp on attacks against his former government colleagues. The Green Party’s candidate for chancellor, Robert Habeckis likely to counter this at the start of the election campaign on Monday evening in Lübeck.

The dominant themes: strengthen the economy, limit immigration, support Ukraine. But at the moment one thing in particular is dominating the German election campaign: the statements made by the Tesla boss and Trump advisor Elon Musk and his Expressions of sympathy for the AfD, which is sometimes classified as right-wing extremist.

According to Musk’s guest article in the World on Sundayin which he described the AfD as the “last spark of hope for this country2 and which caused heated debates about the political influence of the tech billionaire AfD leader Alice Weidel and Musk will now have a joint live conversation on January 9th on Musk’s platform X. Central topics: “Freedom of expression” and “the AfD’s ideas for a sustainable Germany”.

“You have to stay cool”

Musk’s election advertising caused loud criticism from the federal parties: “The richest man in the world, who owns one of the most powerful communication platforms, openly supports a partly right-wing extremist party. We shouldn’t make the mistake of dismissing that,” warned Habeck in the Spiegel. Scholz, whom Musk like BFederal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had previously personally attacked, but called for calm: “You have to stay cool,” the Chancellor told the Stern.

Scholz met Musk in March 2022 at the opening of the Tesla factory in Brandenburg. At that time, the AfD there acted against the location of the factory, said Scholz in the Stern. Musk later complained to Scholz about government funding for e-charging stations in Germany.

Even the liberal FDP, whose party leader Lindner recently propagated “Dare more Musk” and themselves X who had asked for a meeting with the tech billionaire, is now criticizing the statements made by the richest man in the world: “If you care about our liberal democracy, you should stay away from the man as much as possible,” said the deputy parliamentary group leader Konstantin Kuhle.

Two days after the conversation with Musk, Weidel will be officially elected as candidate for chancellor at an AfD party conference. Also was on X speculates whether Weidel is at the Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington would be present. Weidel’s spokesman rejected this and referred to the busy schedule in the election campaign.