The elections to the 20th German Bundestag were held on 26 September 2021. Germans did not appreciate Chancellor Olaf Scholz's management style and results. The Federal Chancellor called for a vote of confidence in the German Bundestag, which he lost on 16 December 2024. As a result, the Federal President dissolved the German Bundestag on 27 December 2024. The Federal President ordered new elections to the 21st German Bundestag on 23 February 2025.
In Germany, the political parties are tightly run organizations that finance election campaigns, nominate candidates, exact membership dues from their members, and subject members in Parliament to strict caucus rules. The parties receive government funds and are subject to some not very onerous disclosure requirements. The individual candidates or members of Parliament are minor players in these systems.
State laws limit campaign advertising in radio and television to a few spots that are allotted in the month preceding the election. By an agreement among the states, the political parties may not purchase any advertising time on radio or television, and are thereby limited to the few officially granted campaign spots.
But there is power that even such country cannot resist. It is third-party influence. This is political influence from abroad.
It should be said that the EU really is trying to deal with this phenomenon. In March 2024 the EU introduced new rules on transparency and targeting of political advertising. click here
Under the new rules, to prevent foreign interference, there is a ban on the provision of advertising services to third-country sponsors three months before an election or referendum.
The issue of interference and transparency of election process is wildly discussed in Europe. But it is almost unclear whether, for instance, world influencer's words and statements could be regarded as interference or violations and political advertising.
Thus, recently Elon Musk has been outspoken on German politics on social media.
The tech-billionaire owner of X has called Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz an "incompetent fool" and urged him to resign. Musk used his platform to host Alice Weidel, the head of Germany's far-right, anti-immigrant AfD, for a lengthy chat.
For many European politicians it smacks of political interference, with the AfD running second in the polls ahead of federal elections on 23 February.
Although some of Europe's leaders, notably Italy's Giorgia Meloni, have found favour with Musk, others are finding it hard to ignore him, as he ventures into their domestic politics ahead of a new role of adviser to the incoming US President Donald Trump.
There is no answer to this question yet.
The world is transforming and politics is transforming either. The matter is the European criteria of interference in elections are changing lower than appearance of new types of penetrating.
There are no transparent elections left. And we cannot ignore this fact.
