"Both want ..."

AfD election call: SPD leader compares Musk to Putin

In a guest article for a German media outlet, US billionaire Elon Musk has called on people to vote for the AfD. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil is appalled by this and calls for the Trump adviser's media power to be limited.

Klingbeil accused the tech billionaire and designated US government advisor Musk of wanting to "plunge Germany into chaos" following his comments on the German parliamentary election campaign. "Elon Musk is trying to do nothing more than Vladimir Putin," Klingbeil told the newspapers of the Funke media group with regard to the Russian president: Both supported enemies of democracy.

Musk and Putin want to influence our elections and specifically support the AfD's enemies of democracy. They want Germany to be weakened and plunged into chaos.

SPD-Parteivorsitzender Lars Klingbeil

"Both want to influence our elections and specifically support the AfD's enemies of democracy. They want Germany to be weakened and plunged into chaos," said the SPD leader. Democracy in Germany is "under massive threat from outside", Klingbeil continued. Putin and Musk were "deliberately supporting the enemies of democracy in the AfD" and "democrats must stand together across party lines".

Klingbeil: EU Commission should limit Musk's media power
Klingbeil called on the EU Commission in particular to restrict the media power of Musk, owner of the online service X. This would require "legal instruments against fake news". "We in Europe need to get off our butts if we want to avert a major threat to democracy," Klingbeil added.

At the weekend, Welt am Sonntag published a guest article by Musk in which he called for voting for the AfD. This led to sharp criticism of the newspaper's editorial team and Musk's call to vote.

Among others, CDU leader and Union candidate for chancellor Friedrich Merz described it as "overbearing and presumptuous".