RPT-Czech leftists pull out of coalition talks

(Repeats story published late on Sunday)

PRAGUE, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The Czech leftist Social Democrats on Sunday said they were pulling out of coalition talks with the Civic Democrats after reports that the rightists were trying to persuade deputies to cross the floor.

Centre-right and leftist parties have been locked in battle since a parliamentary election in June gave each side 100 seats in the lower house of parliament.

The deadlock has yet to affect the booming economy but has prevented the emergence of a strong, stable government able to carry out reforms needed to prepare for the adoption of the euro currency after 2010.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's Civic Democrats have proposed a broad coalition with the Social Democrats, the centrist Christian Democrats and the Green Party that would rule until an early election in the spring of 2008.

After the newspaper Mlada Fronta Dnes reported at the weekend that a Topolanek adviser had secretly met Social Democrat deputies to try to win their support for a rightist government, the leftists voted at a meeting to leave the talks.

"We have decided that we will not join in the project to create a four-party coalition with an early election in the spring of 2008," Paroubek told reporters.

The development showed a large gap remained between the two main parties in efforts to end the deadlock that has lasted more than five months.

However, Paroubek reiterated that his party would be willing to work on their long-proposed offer of a three-party coalition -- the Green Party would be pushed into opposition -- that would have "a reform agenda under the name Agenda 2010" and sees fresh elections no earlier than the second half of 2009.

The Social Democrats would prefer a coalition with as few parties as possible so they can exert greater influence on policy. ((Reporting by Alan Crosby, editing by Andrew Dobbie; e-mail: prague.newsroom@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: alan.crosby.reuters.com@reuters.net; +420 224 190 477))

Keywords: CZECH POLITICS