The opinion editor at Die Welt has resigned after the conservative German newspaper printed an article from Elon Musk justifying his support for the hard-Right AfD.

U.S. billionaire Elon Musk backed Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a guest opinion piece for Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper published online on Saturday that prompted the commentary editor to resign in protest.

Germany’s intelligence agency has monitored the party, known as Alternative for Germany, for suspected extremism.

The tech billionaire who has already made a name in American politics offered his endorsement following a deadly German Christmas market attack.

Germany is expected to vote in an early election on February 23 after Mr Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed last month.

Germany's Olaf Scholz has dismissed an assertion by Elon Musk, who said that a far-right party can “save Germany'. Germany is set to vote in an early election in February next year following the collapse of Scholz's three-party governing coalition collapsed last month.

The US tech billionaire dismissed the narrative of Germany's AfD's being right-wing extremists as "clearly false." The populist party is polling second as Germany prepares for a parliamentary vote in February.