Musk's post angers Germans

A post from Elon Musk on his platform X that only the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party can "save Germany" sparked accusations on Friday that he was seeking to interfere in the country's upcoming polls.

The tech billionaire posted the message over a video commentary that criticised the leader of Germany's CDU party Friedrich Merz, on course to become the next chancellor, for his refusal to work with the AfD.

The anti-immigration AfD has enjoyed a surge in the polls and is currently second-placed, but mainstream parties have ruled out cooperating with it.

While the German government refused to be drawn on the comments by Musk, set to be "efficiency czar" under US President-elect Donald Trump, politicians from major parties reacted with outrage.

"It is threatening, irritating and unacceptable for a key figure in the future US government to interfere in the German election campaign," Dennis Radtke, an MEP for the centre-right CDU, told the Handelsblatt daily.