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 multibillionaires," the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
German citizens will vote in early elections on February 23 after Scholz's ruling three-party coalition collapsed last month over a dispute over the country's economic revival.
Scholz is hoping for a second term, but polls show the opposition center-right conservative bloc, the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), is leading in support among voters, and the chancellor's center-left Social Democrats lag far behind, 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 made an appearance on "Ex" in a video in which he thanked Musk, an associate of US President-elect Donald Trump, and declared 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.