Germany's highest court ruled Wednesday that preliminary official results from Sunday's general election should not be kept secret until a deferred by-election two weeks later.

Germany's voters will cast their votes on Sunday to elect members of a new parliament. Poll shows the elections will be too close to call.

Poll shows the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) enjoys a support of 42 percent of the voters while its coalition party, the Free Democratic Party has a support of 6.5 percent. Therefore the coalition still needs another 1.5 percent to rule the country.

A parliament member appealed to the federal court that the preliminary results, usually published several hours after polls close at 6 PM, be kept secret until after an Oct. 2 by-election in one of the country's 299 election districts.

The constitutional court rejected the appeal, saying that appeals can be filed later after the elections.

Last week, a candidate of the National Democratic Party died and a separate by-election in the eastern city of Dresden was needed under the German law.

Such a by-election was scheduled for Oct. 2.

(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2005)