Left Party entered both state parliaments in Hessen and Lower Saxony on Sunday - Journal (english) 28.01.2008 10:00 UTC TT

There's been much talk here in Germany in recent weeks and months about a shift to the left. This in part triggered by people's concerns about the impact of globalisation. And especially change in work patterns, pay levels and welfare benefits that have come into force as Germany battles to retain its place among the world's leading export nations. One party above all has been making political capital out of those fears - it's the Left Party, which entered both state parliaments in Hessen and Lower Saxony on Sunday.