Pressure mounted on Gerhard Schröder on Sunday night to give up his claim to the German chancellorship after a delayed election in Dresden boosted the conservative opposition's vote.

Negotiations to form a "grand coalition" in Germany are expected to gain momentum over the coming days after the Dresden election maintained the Christian Democratic Union's lead over Mr Schröder's Social Democratic Party. The election - made necessary by the death of a candidate shortly before the September 18 election - could help open the way for Angela Merkel, the leader of the opposition, to become chancellor.