By Sarah Marsh and Matthias Williams
BERLIN (Reuters) – Elon Musk will host the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) at X on Thursday, raising concerns in Berlin and Brussels about the American billionaire’s possible interference in the campaign for Germany’s Feb. 23 national election.
Last year, Musk used X and his vast wealth to help get Republican Donald Trump re-elected as US president. He is now becoming vocal in his support for far-right and anti-establishment parties across Europe.
The world’s richest man has shown particular interest in Germany, Europe’s economic powerhouse, where he has opened Tesla’s (NASDAQ: ) first European factory in 2022.
Last month, Musk endorsed the AfD, an anti-immigration, anti-Islam party that German security services have labeled as right-wing extremist, sparking consternation in Berlin. Other German parties have ruled out cooperation with the AfD.
Musk, known for his libertarian views, described German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as a “tyrant” for criticizing the AfD and called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resign after a deadly car attack at a German Christmas market. Both belong to the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).
Leaders across Europe have expressed concern over Musk’s political activities. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused Musk of undermining democracy, without naming him directly, while France’s foreign minister called on the EU to use its laws more strictly to protect itself from outside interference.
That is unlikely to prevent a live chat between Musk and AfD chancellor candidate Alice Weidel, an economist fluent in English and Mandarin, from going ahead at 7pm (1800 GMT).
Last August, Musk had a similar conversation with Trump, who has since tasked the entrepreneur with leading a drive to make the US government more efficient.
AFD ON THE RISE
In Germany, critics of the AfD worry that Musk’s support for the party could further bolster its popularity, eroding support for the main parties and making it harder for them to form a coherent coalition.
AfD is already in second place in the poll. An INSA poll released on Monday shows the AfD with 21.5 percent behind the conservatives with 31 percent, but well ahead of Scholz’s SPD with 15.5 percent. INSA chief Hermann Binkert said Musk’s comments helped remove the stigma from the AfD.
Musk defended his right to influence German politics because of his “significant investments”, and praised the AfD’s approach to regulation, taxes and market deregulation.
However, Thursday’s planned live chat has drawn the attention of the European Commission, which will consider the debate as part of its ongoing investigation into X and possible breaches of its Digital Services Act (DSA).
“Nothing in the DSA prevents such live streaming. However, what we want is for the platform owner or platform provider to ensure that the platform does not… give preferential treatment to certain types of content,” the spokesperson said.
LobbyControl, a pressure group that advocates for greater transparency in German and European politics, questioned whether the conversation violated German campaign finance rules since it could be classified as political advertising.
Separately, the administration of Germany’s lower house of parliament said it was investigating whether Musk’s live chat could constitute illegal interference in the election campaign.
Weidel’s spokesman rejected such suggestions, saying: “It is definitely not an illegal party donation, but an open conversation about Xu, which was not previously coordinated and which is completely legitimate.”
Musk’s team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Klaus Mueller, the head of Germany’s Federal Network Agency, said that citizens are deciding whether to listen to Musk’s conversation with Weidel.
But he added that any evidence of algorithm manipulation would be over the line or relevant to the DSA.
