UPDATE 2-Rightist party backs leader to become Czech PM

(Adds meeting between president and Topolanek)

By Alan Crosby

PRAGUE, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Czech rightist leader Mirek Topolanek was given a green light by the leadership of his Civic Democrat party on Tuesday to accept the president's nomination to become prime minister for the second time this year.

Topolanek said he had received a broad mandate from the party to launch talks with other parties on forming a new government but ruled out a grand coalition with the leftist Social Democrats.

On Monday President Vaclav Klaus said he would again nominate Topolanek after the Social Democrats rejected a proposal for a broad coalition of four parties in parliament -- Klaus excluded the Communists -- that would govern for a limited time before early elections.

Klaus' office said in a statement a meeting between the president and Topolanek would take place at 2:00 pm (1300 GMT). No further details were given.

"We are not afraid to dust off options that have been unsuccessful to date, nor of offering new variations (for a government)," Topolanek told a news conference.

But when asked if he would talk to the Social Democrats about a grand coalition, Topolanek said: "I do not think the broad mandate (for negotiations) includes this kind of option."

Klaus first named Topolanek as prime minister after an inconclusive June election. But with the lower house split evenly between leftist and rightist parties, the government failed to win a confidence vote in October.

Topolanek, buoyed by the Civic Democrats' dominance in last month's Senate and municipal votes, wants an interim government to rule until fresh elections can be held early next year.

The Social Democrats, led by former Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, have been adamant that they should be given a chance to form a government after the rightists failed.

Paroubek, whose party finished second behind the Civic Democrats in the June election, has said he is confident he can win a majority of votes in the lower house, though he has not said how.

Two smaller centre-right parties have ruled out supporting a Social Democrat government as it would need the indirect support of the Communists to survive, since the Civic Democrats would oppose it. ((Writing by Alan Crosby, editing by Andrew Roche; prague.newsroom@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: alan.crosby.reuters.com@reuters.net; +420 224 190 477))

Keywords: CZECH POLITICS