German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, dissolved Parliament on Friday and officially called for early elections on February 23, following the fall of the government led by Olaf Scholz.
The coalition under Scholz collapsed due to internal disputes on how to revive the EU’s main economy. The Christmas market attack in Magdeburg last week reignited debates on security and migration.
Social media posts quickly labeled the case as a terrorist-motivated attack, linking it to refugee acceptance measures, especially towards Syrians, adopted by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015.
Billionaire Elon Musk, who had praised the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) earlier in the day, shared posts on his social media platform X associating the attack with immigration.