The German government accused U.S. billionaire Elon Musk on Monday of trying to influence its election due in February with articles supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, even though it suggested they amounted to “nonsense.

In his opinion piece, Musk called the AfD "the last spark of hope" for Germany and argued in favor of the party's positions on energy, economic recovery and migration, saying they reflect "the principles that made Tesla and SpaceX successful," according to a Euronews translation.

Germany is to vote on Feb. 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party governing coalition collapsed in a dispute over the stagnant economy.

Germany's vice chancellor said Musk's comments calling the far-right AfD a "last spark of hope" weren't made out of ignorance.