Norman Brewer, Bremen
According to an Infratest-dimap poll published on July 20, the new Left Party is likely to get 20% in Saarland, the home state of Oskar Lafontaine, in the September 18 national elections. The ruling Social-Democratic Party, once led by Lafontaine, is polling 24%, nearly half its previous result. Lafontaine is running for the Left Party in the seat of the state's capital.
The Left Party ticket will contain activists from the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and the Electoral Alternative for Jobs and Social Justice (WASG).
Three days before the poll was published, the ninth congress of the PDS voted by a 75% majority to change the party's name to the Left Party, with the possibility of appending the phrase "PDS". This decision enables the alliance to run as Left Party or Left Party.PDS on ballots. The .PDS will almost certainly be added in the eastern states where Left Party is now the highest polling party. In a postal ballot won with 82% support, WASG members had already voted to join the list, and to start a unification process with the PDS after the elections.
From Green Left Weekly, July 27, 2005.
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