UPDATE 1-Czech govt confidence vote set for Jan. 19

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The Czech parliament will hold a confidence vote on Jan. 19 on the new centre-right government, which controls just half the deputies, parliamentary officials said on Thursday.

It was unclear whether Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek would be able to woo at least one of two independent deputies or find defectors among the left-wing Social Democrats to win the vote.

The coalition government controls 100 of the 200 seats and must find at least one more vote to win the confidence motion and hold a slim majority in parliament.

Even if Topolanek wins the confidence vote, analysts say the government will be unable to push through reforms of the pension, health, tax and welfare systems the country needs to slash its budget deficit and qualify for adopting the euro.

Parliament's organisational committee on Thursday agreed the Jan. 19 vote date, following a request by the government to hold the vote as soon as possible.

"The parliament session on the vote will begin at 9:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Jan. 19," said an assistant at the organisational committee.

Two Social Democrat deputies have quit their party faction and sit as independents, but neither has pledged support for the cabinet.

Topolanek has formed a coalition cabinet of his right-wing Civic Democrats, the centrist Christian Democrats and the Green Party, in a second attempt to overcome a political crisis that has crippled governing in the central European country since a June election produced the hung parliament.

Topolanek's influential adviser Marek Dalik said in an on-line interview on the www.novinky.cz Web site on Thursday he expected several opposition deputies to help the government out, and gave a 70 percent chance of the government winning the vote.

If Topolanek loses the confidence vote, Czech parties must elect a new parliamentary speaker -- a tough task given the even split in the lower house -- who will then appoint another prime minister.

If the next prime minister's cabinet fails in a confidence vote as well, then the president can call early elections.

The Social Democrats have rejected supporting Topolanek's cabinet and have been pushing for a government including themselves, the Civic Democrats and the Christian Democrats.

[PRAGUE/Reuters/Finance.cz]