Czech opposition leader Jiri Paroubek said today he would start talks to support a new government to lead the country to an early election after the fall of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek.
If successful, it could possibly help avoid a political stalemate after Mr Topolanek's centre-right, minority-backed cabinet lost a vote of confidence amid a worsening economic crisis, halfway through the Czech's six-month EU presidency.
"I am going to negotiate for a Czech government that will have the confidence of the lower house and which will also bring the country to early elections," Mr Paroubek, head of the opposition-leading Social Democrats, told journalists after meeting President Vaclav Klaus.
"The best case scenario [for the vote] would be in October."
Mr Paroubek said he would talk with all parties but did not say who he would prefer to lead the government or who could back it. He has said his party would not take part in the government and that it would prefer a cabinet of experts.
On Thursday, Mr Klaus accepted Mr Topolanek's resignation and said a new cabinet must be formed soon.
But he set conditions that any administration must have majority support, which would probably require agreement between the Social Democrats and Mr Topolanek's Civic Democrats, which could be very difficult to reach.
But Mr Topolanek himself has also proposed early elections as quickly as possible, which could allow Mr Paroubek's proposal to gain traction.
The Czech constitution makes it difficult to organise early elections, and analysts have predicted a protracted political standoff.
Reuters