The German government has accused Elon Musk of trying to influence the country’s elections through repeated public endorsements of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

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Government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann said, “It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election.” Her comments came in response to Musk’s posts on X, formerly Twitter, and an opinion piece published over the weekend in support of the AfD.

Also read: Elon Musk endorses German far right AfD in op-ed; opinion editor resigns in protest

While acknowledging Musk’s right to put out his views, Hoffmann added, “He is free to express his opinion. One does not have to share this opinion. After all, freedom of opinion also covers the greatest nonsense."

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Hoffmann called Musk’s endorsement “a recommendation to vote for a party that is being monitored (by domestic intelligence) on suspicion of being right-wing extremist and which has already been recognised as partly right-wing extremist.”

 AfD is Germany’s 'last hope': Musk

Musk, who will serve as an adviser to Donald Trump’s upcoming administration, called the AfD Germany’s “last hope” in a guest opinion piece for the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. After his opinion piece was published, the paper’s commentary editor resigned in protest.

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In the article, written in German, Musk defended the AfD, saying, “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!”

Also read: Elon Musk's 'problematic' post on German politics sparks accusations of interference

The controversy comes as Germany prepares for parliamentary elections on 23 February, following the collapse of the coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

This is not the first time Musk has faced criticism from Germany over his political comments. He previously wrote on X that “only the AfD can save Germany,” drawing widespread criticism. At the time, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach called Musk’s actions “undignified and problematic,” adding that they might equate election interference.

Last month, Musk even called Chancellor Olaf Scholz a “fool” on X. He defended his involvement in German politics by citing his “significant investments” in the country.

The AfD is currently polling in second place in the opinion polls. A strong performance by the AfD in the election could complicate coalition-building, as mainstream parties have ruled out working with the AfD at either state or federal levels.

(With inputs from agencies)