Federal election 2025: Federal government sees attempted influence by Musk in the federal election campaign

Ahead of what is expected to be a tough federal election campaign, six parties have agreed on a fairness agreement. Among other things, it provides for refraining from personal denigration or attacks on the personal or professional environment of politicians and for debates with one another in a respectful manner. The agreement was agreed by the SPD, CDU, CSU, Greens, FDP and the Left, as the SPD and CDU announced. AfD and BSW are not involved.

Fierce verbal battles surrounding the question of trust in Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had raised concerns that the election campaign would be particularly heated. Scholz said on ZDF about his CDU challenger Friedrich Merz: “Fritze Merz likes to tell nonsense”. Tünkram is Low German and means something like stupid stuff. The Union also showed that it is not squeamish when it comes to dealing with its political opponents. CSU leader Markus Söder said in response to the chancellor: “Olaf Scholz is no longer a role model for democracy and is the most embarrassing chancellor our country has ever had.”

In the election campaign agreement, the parties commit to refraining from disinformation (fake news): “We do not use such deliberately false information for election campaign purposes – even if it comes from third parties who have no connection to us.” Also the use of false information Identities, for example with fake accounts, are rejected: “We are recognizable as the sender of a political message, either through a clearly recognizable party logo in the election advertising material or through the account with which content is published.”

For the local election campaign, the parties assure each other that they will not use violence against election campaigners, for example when hanging up posters or against campaign stands. “Posters of political competitors may not be destroyed, damaged, taken down or re-hung,” the agreement continues.

The digital election campaign and the use of artificial intelligence should also be carried out fairly. For example, it says: “We do not use deepfake technologies to put statements in the mouths of political competitors that they have not actually made.” Image, video and audio material generated with the help of AI should be clearly and unmistakably marked in this way . Users’ personal data is handled responsibly.