Elon Musk Says US Voters Should Back Republicans In Midterms

Twitter owner Elon Musk has asked people to vote for the Republicans in the mid-term elections. Explaining why he wants a Republican Congress, the eccentric owner of the microblogging service tweeted that "shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties", and since the Democrats already have the presidency, a Republic Congress would provide a balance of sorts.

"To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic," Mr Musk tweeted.

"Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who's in charge," he said.

To independent-minded voters:

Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022

This was the first time the billionaire who also owns Tesla tweeted on US politics. The whirlwind week that Mr Musk took over Twitter began with sleepless nights for company engineers - and ended with half the staff getting the axe.

The world's richest man is also preceded by his reputation, from the punishing work rates in his plants to his rejection of telecommuting, which is highly popular in the tech sector, and his absolutist vision of free speech, which his detractors claim can only lead to harassment, disinformation and a tolerance for hate speech.

Democrats and Republicans traded final blows today ahead of midterm elections that could upend Joe Biden's presidency, weaken Western support for Ukraine and even open the door to a comeback attempt by Donald Trump.

More than 40 million ballots have been cast through early voting options, meaning the fate of the world's biggest economy was already in play, with hours to go before polls open nationwide Tuesday.

Adding to tensions -- and a reminder of the international stakes -- Kremlin-connected oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin boasted that Russia was trying to tilt the outcome.

"We interfered, we are interfering and we will interfere... carefully, precisely, surgically and the way we do it, the way we can," said Mr Prigozhin, a pivotal figure in the Ukraine invasion where his Wagner military contractor group is on the front lines.

President Biden, who has framed his closing argument as a warning that American democracy is on the line, was set to close out days of frantic campaigning for Democratic candidates at a rally on Monday evening near Baltimore.

Mr Trump, who is using the midterms to repeatedly tease a possible 2024 White House run, was holding a rally in Ohio.

With polls showing Republicans in line to seize the House of Representatives, the increasingly far-right party eyed snarling the rest of President Biden's first term in aggressive investigations and opposition to spending plans.

With inputs from AFP