Czech leftists reject call to back new government

PRAGUE, Jan 10 (Reuters) The new Czech government will have to woo at least one independent deputy to try to survive its first confidence vote after rival Social Democrats refused today to back the centre-right coalition.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek yesterday formed his second government since a June election ended in a hung parliament with 100 seats each for leftist and rightist parties.

A minority government composed solely of Topolanek's Civic Democrats failed to win a confidence vote in October and he has overseen a caretaker government since with parliament paralysed.

In televised talks today, Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek told Topolanek: ''We will not raise our hand for your government, nor will we tolerate it (by abstention)''.

That means Topolanek will have to turn to individual leftist deputies, mainly two rebels who have left the Social Democrats, but none of the rebels has indicated support for the government.

If the government loses the confidence vote, which must be held within four weeks, then Czech parties must elect a new parliamentary speaker -- a tough task given the balance of power -- 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 right-wing Civic Democrats have formed a cabinet with the centrist Christian Democrats and the Green Party but they are a single seat short of a parliamentary majority.

During the meeting between coalition leaders and the Social Democrats, Topolanek said: ''Our aim is to have a government which will carry out a reform programme, with all the risks for the parties that will undertake it ... not all steps will be painless.'' But Paroubek said there were 10 areas in the coalition's agenda that the Social Democrats could not agree to because they would hurt the poor.

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

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

REUTERS BDP RN2203