RPT-Czechs to prepare float of 16% CEZ stake -Fin Min

(Repeats story published on Sunday)

PRAGUE, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The minority right-of-centre Czech government wants to prepare a plan to gradually float a 16 percent stake in power utility CEZ <CEZPsp.PR> on the Prague Stock Exchange next year, Finance Minister Vlastimil Tlusty said on Sunday.

Speaking in a television debate, Tlusty said he was in favour of floating the stake in small chunks, so as not to affect the company's share price.

The Czech Republic owns 68 percent of CEZ, one of the biggest companies in central Europe by market capitalisation. A 16 percent stake is worth about $3.5 billion at the current stock price.

"We want the Czech state to keep a majority, therefore there is a plan to gradually, and very slowly, sell 16 percent of CEZ through the bourse," Tlusty said on public Czech TV.

"In any case, the sale of these state-held shares on the Prague bourse would take place next year," he added.

But the minority government of rightist Civic Democratic Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek lacks a parliamentary majority and is likely to lose a confidence vote planned for Oct. 4.

Tough political talks are expected to follow the confidence vote, given no agreement on government so far since a June election which gave both left and right-wing factions exactly the same power in parliament. ((Reporting by Marek Petrus, editing by Will Waterman; email: marek.petrus@reuters.com; tel: +420 224 190 470; Reuters Messaging: marek.petrus.reuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: ENERGY CEZ