Czech parliament to begin confidence vote Oct 3

PRAGUE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Czech parliament will begin a session devoted to a confidence vote in the minority rightist government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek on Oct. 3, parliament's organisation committee said on Tuesday.

Topolanek's government, which was sworn in this month, holds only 81 seats in the 200-seat lower house and appears unlikely to be able to cobble together a majority.

If he fails to win the vote Topolanek must resign and his government automatically falls.

The leftist Social Democrats and the far-left Communists -- who together control 100 seats -- have ruled out supporting the government. Two centrist parties hold the remaining 19 seats.

"When we see the programme of the Topolanek government, it sends a few shivers down the spine," said former prime minister and Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek.

The stalemate in parliament is the result of an inconclusive June general election. President Vaclav Klaus named Topolanek, whose Civic Democrats won the most votes in the election, as prime minister in August.

If Topolanek fell, Klaus would have a second chance to name a prime minister and government. If that also failed, the speaker of the house would have a third and final chance to pick a government.

After three failed attempts, Klaus can call early elections if he wants.

Many analysts say early elections are the most likely outcome of the stalemate, given the deep animosity between Paroubek and Topolanek.

They say that after local and upper house elections in late October, the parties would then agree on a temporary cabinet of technocrats and then new polls, possibly as early as next spring. ((Reporting by Alan Crosby; prague.newsroom@reuters.com; editing by Robert Woodward; Reuters Messaging: alan.crosby.reuters.com@reuters.net; +420 224 190 477))

Keywords: CZECH POLITICS CONFIDENCE