German chancellor candidate from the opposition bloc of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), Friedrich Merz, criticized an article by American entrepreneur Elon Musk in support of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, calling it unprecedented interference in the German elections.
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Previously, Musk wrote in an article for the Welt newspaper that the AfD is the only political force in Germany capable of saving the country from becoming “a shadow of its former self.” The publication of this material caused heated controversy both in the editorial office of Welt and in Germany as a whole: the head of the Welt opinion department, Eva Marie Kogel, submitted her resignation after the publication of the material, and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach expressed support for opponents of the publication of Musk’s article.
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“I don’t remember that in the history of Western democracies there has been a comparable case of interference in the election campaign of a friendly country… Elon Musk’s election call crosses all boundaries and is presumptuous,” Merz said.
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Merz also said that the AfD supports Germany’s exit from the EU, which could negatively affect the German economy.
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Earlier, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced that he had decided to dissolve the Bundestag and call early elections for February 23, 2025.
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The proposal to dissolve parliament was sent to Steinmeier by Chancellor Olaf Scholz after the Bundestag, by a majority vote on December 16, lost confidence in his government. In particular, 394 of the 717 deputies who took part in the vote voted against the request for confidence in Scholz as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, 207 voted for, 116 abstained.
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The vote of confidence was a consequence of the government crisis that Germany faced in early November after Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) was fired at the insistence of Scholz. Among the reasons for this decision, the Chancellor named the ex-minister’s reluctance, as part of state budget planning, to simultaneously approve an increase in spending to support Ukraine and investing in the future of Germany. German media later reported that the FDP had been preparing a decision to leave the ruling coalition since September; such an outcome was discussed by trusted party members during a meeting at Truman’s villa in Potsdam, and the plan was called “D-Day”.
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According to polls, the most popular political force is the opposition bloc of the Christian Democratic and Christian Social Unions (CDU/CSU), led by Friedrich Merz, with a rating of just over 30%, followed by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. with a rating of just under 20%, and the Social Democrats are only third with support around 15%.
