Germany's Scholz urges citizens to vote in NYE address

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Olaf Scholz appealed to his fellow Germans to vote in snap elections in February as the country argues over immigration and the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), according to a New Year's speech seen in advance.

"I appeal to you today: Please go vote! By looking around in the world, you will know what a great accomplishment free and fair elections are," Scholz said in the address, which is set to air at 1910 GMT.

Germans will head to the polls in a parliamentary election on Feb. 23 after a fractious Scholz-led coalition government comprising his Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP ended in collapse.

In the address, Scholz also alluded to a recent stand-off with U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, who has endorsed the AfD and called for Scholz to resign in the wake of a deadly attack in Magdeburg.

The future of Germany "will not be decided by the owners of social media channels," Scholz said in the address.

"It won't be the person who yells loudest who will decide where Germany goes from here - rather, that will be up to the vast majority of reasonable and decent people," he added.

Five people were killed and some 200 people injured in a car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Dec. 20, stoking the flames of a debate over limiting immigration and a harsher stance on deportations.

(Reporting by Friederike Heine, Editing by Miranda Murray)