Czech president backs idea of early elections
"We all feel that a political solution is not at all realistic and that all indicators point to early elections," Ladislav Jakl, who often expresses the president's political opinions, said during a televised debate.
Mirek Topolanek, leader of the liberal right Civic Democrats which won June's legislative elections but, with 81 seats in the 200-seat lower house, failed to gain a majority, will tender his government's resignation on Wednesday.
Four months of discussions and negotiations have not cleared the political blockage created by the lack of a clear majority and the country has made do since then without real executive power.
The Czech constitution allows three shots at forming a government before early elections have to be called.
Klaus has said in the past few days that he would not appoint a new prime minister until senatorial and municipal elections were held over the last two weekends of October.
Meanwhile, the vice president of the Civic Democrats and mayor of Prague, Pavel Bem, said Sunday that Topolanek could on Wednesday give the president the name of an independent candidate to be head of government.
Former Social Democrat prime minister, Jiri Paroubek, hopes he will be chosen by the head of state for this second shot at forming a government, stressing that his party came in second in the June election.