"Say No to Olaf Scholz": Elon Musk ahead of Germany's snap elections

Texas [US], January 12 (ANI): Tesla CEO Elon Musk has called on the people of Germany to "say no" to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. His statement comes after Germany's ruling Social Democrats (SPD) on Saturday announced Scholz as the party's candidate for federal elections set to take place on February 23, 2025.
Musk made the statement on X in response to two news reports -- one about SPD nominating Scholz for German Chancellor again and another June 24 report that said that a woman convicted of "offending" migrant gang rapists receives longer prison sentences than the rapists.
In response to the two posts shared on X, Elon Musk wrote, "Sag Nein zu Scholz!" which translates to "Say No to Scholz" in English.
The snap elections for a new parliament in Germany are set to take place on February 23 as Scholz lost a confidence vote in the parliament in December.
Musk has publicly expressed support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of the snap election in Germany. Earlier on January 9, Musk called Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel "very reasonable," calling on Germans to vote for the far-right party, CNN reported.
During an audio livestream alongside AfD co-leader Weidel on X, Musk said, "Only AfD can save Germany, end of story, and people really need to get behind AfD, and otherwise things are going to get very, very much worse in Germany."
He compared the political climate in Germany to that of the US, stressing that people were unhappy and wanted a change when voting for Trump in November, according to CNN report. Tesla CEO said, "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."
Weidel said that it was "unbelievable" how Germany treated Trump while he campaigned to become US President, saying that it caused her "physical pain" to see him "disparaged."
During the same conversation, Alice Weidel stated that Germany needs to portect the existence of Israel and to "take our responsibility as a German nation state to protect Jewish life," which she said was threatened by "Muslim crime." She called AfD the "only protector of the Jewish people" in Germany, CNN report.
On December 20, Musk on X wrote, "Only the AfD can save Germany." He made the statement after the German government collapsed, prompting Weidel to respond at the time, "Yes! You are perfectly right!"
Musk has called German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier "an anti-democratic tyrant" after he made remarks against foreign interference during his speech on the dissolution of Germany's parliament. He demanded Scholz's resignation following a car-ramming attack in Magdeburg, calling him an "incompetent fool" in a post on X.
After Elon Musk endorsed AfD, the German government accused Elon Musk of interfering in the country's upcoming election, Euro News reported. Officials, including government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann, Social Democratic Party (SPD) co-leader Lars Klingbeil, and Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's largest opposition party Christian Democratic Union (CDU) condemned Musk's statement in Germany.
"It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election through his statements," Hoffmann said.
She added that although Musk was "free to express his opinion" it was worth noting Musk was recommending voting for a party that is "being monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution on suspicion of being right-wing extremist and that has already been recognized as being right-wing extremist in parts."
SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil also criticised Musk, comparing him to Russian President Vladimir Putin and accusing him of election interference. In an interview with Funke Mediengruppe on Monday, Klingbeil likened Musk to Putin, saying that "both want to influence our elections and are deliberately supporting the AfD, the enemies of democracy. They want Germany to be weakened and plunge into chaos."
"We need to be much more proactive and effectively limit the power of the large internet platforms like Musk's short message service, X. Here, a tech billionaire is trying to use his influence to influence the course of world politics," Euro News reported.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz called Musk's endorsement of the far-right AfD an unprecedented example of meddling between allied nations and highlighted the potential economic harm of AfD policies, such as their push for Germany to exit the European Union. (ANI)