German politicians criticise Elon Musk for backing AfD ahead of election

German politicians have criticised Elon Musk for an opinion piece he wrote backing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), claiming his support for the party was “intrusive”.

The support of the AfD from Musk, who is set to serve in US President-elect Donald Trump's administration, comes as Germans are set to vote on February 23.

The vote was triggered after a coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed in a dispute over how to revitalise Germany’s stagnant economy.

Mr Musk wrote an op-ed in German in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper claiming that “only the AfD can save Germany" and praised the party's approach to regulation, taxes and market deregulation.

He went on to say the party “can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality.”

The editor of the newspaper’s opinion section, Eva Marie Kogel, resigned after the publication of the article.

She wrote on X: “I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print.”

Friedrich Merz, leader of the opposition Christian Democrats and current favourite to succeed Scholz as chancellor, said in an interview with the Funke Media Group: "I cannot recall a comparable case of interference, in the history of Western democracies, in the election campaign of a friendly country."

Mr Merz described the commentary as "intrusive and pretentious".

Saskia Esken, co-leader of Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), vowed fierce resistance to attempts by state actors as well as the rich and influential to influence Germany's elections.

“In Elon Musk's world, democracy and workers' rights are obstacles to more profit,” she told Reuters.