Can Germany's socialists unite? East-ern Germany's former communists (the Party of Democratic Socialism, or PDS) and a largely western-based left-wing party (Alternative Labour and Social Justice, or WASG) have agreed to stand together in the general election expected on September 18th. The new group, which after much argument has chosen the name Democratic Left-PDS, has a good chance of crossing the 5% threshold for parliamentary representation. So it could affect the formation of a new government. And yet it may not become a permanent fixture in the German political landscape.
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