German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected Elon Musk's claim today that only a far-right party can "save Germany", adding that everyone is entitled to an opinion, "including multi-billionaires," the Associated Press reported.
Germans will vote in early elections on Feb. 23 after Scholz's ruling three-party coalition collapsed last month over a dispute over how to revive the country's economy.
Scholz is hoping for a second term, but opinion polls show the opposition center-right conservative bloc Christian Democrats/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) leading in support among voters, while the chancellor's center-left Social Democrats are lagging behind by a large margin, the AP notes.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is doing well in opinion polls, but its candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, has no real chance, as other parties refuse to work with her and her party, the AP points out.
"Only the AfD can save Germany", Musk wrote on the social network "Ex", which he acquired in 2022.
Weidel told the audience in "Ex" a video in which he thanked Musk, an associate of the newly elected US President Donald Trump, and announced that "her party" is "the only" alternative for the country". "Our last chance, if you ask me", said the AfD co-chair.
Asked about Musk's comment during a joint press conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Scholz replied: "Everyone is entitled to an opinion - including multi-billionaires, but this opinion is not necessarily correct and does not necessarily contain good political advice".
"I state categorically that all democratic parties in Germany see things differently," the chancellor added.