 Previously, she served as leader of The Left's predecessor, the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), from 2000 to 2003.She joined the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1981.After its transformation into the Party of Democratic Socialism in 1990, she became the party's leader in the new state of Thuringia, a position she held until 1998.