Germany's Left Remains East's Darling

Germany's newly-formed Left Party has extended their lead in the eastern part of the country ahead of possible federal elections this fall. The most recent survey by German television station ARD showed that 33 percent of likely voters would pick the party, a combination of the successor to East Germany's communist party and left-of-center Social Democrats and trade unionists in country's west. Gerhard Schröder's Social Democratic party gained slightly on the main election opponent, the Christian Democratic Union, with both parties finishing with 27 percent of the vote. The results were a two-point drop for the CDU, which has announced it will lead a different campaign strategy in the east than in the west.