Municipal Austerity Drives Populist Gains

Germany’s local austerity—visible in deteriorating transport, housing shortages, and schools overwhelmed by language integration—has primed voters to punish the establishment and reward the AfD. In NRW’s 2025 local elections, AfD nearly tripled its vote share to 14.5% while CDU/SPD held roughly steady and the Greens fell sharply. The argument is that budget restraint at the municipal level creates daily frictions that convert into right‑populist advances. — It spotlights how fiscal design and underfunded local services can realign electoral coalitions, implying that ‘lawfare’ against populists won’t address the underlying policy drivers.