The Left Party candidate for Germany's next president, Luc Jochimsen, withdrew her candidacy ahead of a third round of voting Wednesday, increasing the pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel's candidate Christian Wulff, DPA reported.
Jochimsen's withdrawal means Left Party voters could opt for opposition candidate Joachim Gauck in the third round, when the winner simply needs more votes than any other candidate.
However Left Party leader Gregor Gysi said it was most likely that his voters would abstain in what is likely to be the final round of voting.
Jochimsen, who never stood a realistic chance of winning a majority in the 1,244-strong Federal Assembly, received 126 votes in the first round, and 123 in the second.