Czech PM says deal on later vote tied to reforms

PRAGUE, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Czech rightist Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on Tuesday he would agree to a deal to hold early elections only in the second half of 2009 if political parties help create a new government with a reformist programme. Topolanek, appointed last week, is trying to form a government that could win a confidence vote in the lower house of parliament, deadlocked by because the leftist and centre-right blocs have an equal number of seats.

He told a news conference after a meeting of the leadership of his Civic Democrats that he would still prefer early elections in 2007.

But with no chance of mustering the three-fifths support needed in the lower house to trigger a fresh election next year, he was willing to accept other timetables in exchange for a reformist mandate for any government that he would lead.

"The deeper the reforms will be, the later elections can be," he told journalists.

Topolanek did not say what reforms must be in the government programme for a deal to be acceptable, but said a deal could mean holding off on an early vote until after the Czechs hold the six-month rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2009.

"Of course, this could happen only in the case where the government will have a reformist programme," he said.

Topolanek formed a minority government after a June 2-3 election that ended in a stalemate, but it subsequently lost a vote of confidence in the lower house and resigned.

The Green Party is the only other grouping in parliament to be pushing for a fresh election in 2007.

The Christian Democrats and the leftist Social Democrats, both trailing the Civic Democrats badly in opinion polls, say they could accept early elections in 2008 or later.

Analysts said all parties fear that failure to reach an agreement on a government could lead to an even bigger crisis.

Miloslav Vlcek was elected by the house as speaker, but only on condition he would step down after two successive governments failed to win a confidence vote.

If Topolanek fails again, the third prime minister is chosen by the speaker, and neither leftist nor centre-right parties will let the other side have the post after the second failure. ((Writing by Alan Crosby, editing by Steve Pagani; prague.newsroom@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: alan.crosby.reuters.com@reuters.net; +420 224 190 477))

Keywords: CZECH POLITICS