Czech president asks rightist to start govt talks

PRAGUE, June 5 (Reuters) Czech President Vaclav Klaus today said he had asked rightist opposition leader Mirek Topolanek to begin talks on forming a government after a weekend general election that produced a stalemate.

''I invited the chairman of the victorious party, Mirek Topolanek, here to authorise him to lead talks on the political scene on forming a new government,'' Klaus told reporters.

Topolanek's Civic Democrats won the biggest share of the weekend's vote but not a majority.

The Civic Democrats and its two smaller potential centrist allies, the Greens and Christian Democrats, will hold 100 seats in the 200-member lower house -- the same as the ruling Social Democrats and the Communists.

REUTERS SI PM1422