The correct-wing celebration has recorded its best-ever lead to Germany’s parliamentary elections, preliminary outcomes present
Elon Musk reaffirmed his assist for the right-wing Different for Germany (AfD) celebration forward of the parliamentary elections within the nation on the weekend. Main estimates present that the anti-immigration celebration is outpacing the Social Democrats (SPD) headed by outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The Tesla and Area X CEO has repeatedly voiced his assist for the AfD, which has referred to as for Germany to desert the euro and halt local weather motion.
“AfD!” Musk posted on X on Saturday, a day earlier than the German normal election, pinning the phrase alongside German flag emojis.
The billionaire additionally reposted a tweet by one other consumer studying: “Right here’s to AfD having a historic displaying in tomorrow’s elections in Germany!! Let’s make the West nice once more.”
The AfD has confronted controversy over feedback made by present and former members concerning Germany’s previous underneath Adolf Hitler. The celebration’s leaders have denied that the AfD could possibly be described as Nazi.
In January, Musk appeared through video hyperlink at an AfD rally, urging Germans to be happy with their tradition and values, and reject the notion of historic guilt for the Second World Conflict and the Holocaust. Fashionable Germany has embraced the idea of generational guilt, whereas some politicians have insisted that any shows of nationwide pleasure quantity to flirtation with Nazism.
🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪 AfD! 🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2025
Final month, Musk hosted a livestream with AfD co-leader and candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, on his X platform. In December, the US-based businessman reaffirmed his assist for the celebration in an op-ed for the newspaper Die Welt.
The backing has drawn harsh criticism from German politicians and public figures. Scholz has referred to as the billionaire’s feedback “disgusting,” whereas Dani Dayan, the chairman of Israel’s Holocaust museum, has accused Musk of insulting the victims of Nazism and undermining democracy.
On Sunday, Germans took to poll stations to elect the brand new authorities after Scholz’s coalition collapsed on account of disagreements over financial reforms, local weather coverage, and Ukraine support.
In line with preliminary outcomes, the AfD surged into second place with barely over 20%, which is the celebration’s strongest outcome so far on the federal stage. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and sister celebration the Christian Social Union (CSU) are projected to obtain 28.5% of the vote. The share of Scholz’ SPD dropped to 16.4%, placing the celebration in third place.
