* Topolanek says should be renamed PM
* Vows his party will block any other outcome
* Early elections difficult to organise
By Jan Lopatka
PRAGUE, March 25 (Reuters) - Czech Prime Minister Mirek
Topolanek said he should lead any new government, despite losing
a no-confidence vote, saying in a newspaper interview on
Wednesday that his party would reject all other candidates.
Topolanek told the Hospodarske Noviny daily that rivals for
the post could only come to power by forging an alliance with
the Communists, who have been pushed to the sidelines of Czech
politics since Communist rule collapsed in 1989.
President Vaclav Klaus has the sole right to appoint the new
prime minister. Until then, Topolanek's three-party coalition
will remain in office, possibly until the Czech Republic
completes its EU presidency at the end of June.
"The option is to appoint Mirek Topolanek because the Civic
Democrats will not allow for any other appointment," Topolanek
told Hospodarske Noviny.
"If the president appoints somebody else he would open the
way for the communists (to participate) directly or indirectly
in the government," Topolanek said.
Defectors from his centre-right minority administration --
some of them allies of Klaus -- sided with the leftist
opposition on Tuesday to defeat the government, a crisis that
could lead to early elections later this year.
It was the third government collapse in eastern Europe this
year after the leaders of Latvia and Hungary stepped down when
their economies were hit by the global economic crisis.
Topolanek's defeat, however, was more to do with domestic
wrangling and personal rivalries.
Klaus, a former Civic Democrat but a political foe of
Topolanek, was due to meet lower house speaker, Social Democrat
Miloslav Vlcek, to discuss the situation at 1300 GMT. Klaus has
made no comment on whom he would choose but he has in the past
refused to allow the Communists any share of power.
EARLY ELECTIONS
The political crisis pushed the crown currency 1.7 percent
lower on Wednesday but analysts said the country's solid
fundamentals including low foreign debt and small budget and
current account deficits would provide support to markets.
Jiri Paroubek, leader of the opposition Social Democrats,
said a government of non-partisan experts could be formed in the
summer to lead the country to early polls in the autumn or next
spring. Elections are normally scheduled for mid-2010.
In his newspaper interview, Topolanek repeated his call for
early polls if there were no agreement on a new government. The
Civic Democrats want early polls this summer.
However, calling early elections is difficult under the
Czech constitution without the agreement of all major parties.
"It will be a war of nerves between Topolanek, Klaus and
Paroubek about who will get the right to create the next
government," said Jan Kubacek, political science lecturer at
Charles University.
"Both parties (Social Democrats and Civic Democrats) will
likely be able to agree on early elections in autumn," he said.
(Editing by Jon Boyle)
