"We're heading toward an early election, although no one wants this," Civic Democratic Party (ODS) leader Mirek Topolánek told journalists July 28.

Topolánek's struggling three-party coalition once again failed that day in its fifth attempt to elect a speaker for the legislative body, the crucial first step in forming a new government.

The ongoing deadlock in Parliament came after the June 2–3 general election, which saw the ODS narrowly defeat the ruling Social Democrats (ČSSD). But ensuing coalition building actually resulted in a 200-member Chamber split exactly in half between the left and the right.

As the winner, the ODS had the first crack at trying to resolve this and form a new government. Topolánek signed a coalition agreement with the conservative Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) and the Green Party June 26, and had 30 days under law to win support for this union.

That requires 101 deputies to approve the coalition's candidate for speaker. So far, Topolánek hasn't been able to deliver the votes.

A sixth vote for speaker is expected Aug. 4, and Topolánek was expected to meet with Václav Klaus Aug. 2 to talk about possible ways out of the deadlock.

The key obstacle has been Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek, head of the ČSSD, which received the second most votes in the election. Paroubek refuses to support Topolánek's government and has told reporters that his rival's coalition "is dead."

Analysts say a new Chamber election would unlikely result in a party with enough votes to form a government without the help of a coalition.

But a Senate election already scheduled for Oct. 20–21 could offer a way out, some experts say.

"If the ODS and the ČSSD gain seats in the Senate, they could push through an amendment to the Constitution that would change how elections work in this country," said Alexandr Mitrofanov, a commentator for the Czech daily Právo.

The country's system of proportional representation could change to a majority system, something that could benefit both the ČSSD and the ODS, the two biggest parties.

Although such a system is less representative, it would do away with the need for coalition agreements and simplify post-election talks.

But the Senate election doesn't happen for another three months. Moreover, analysts say a new Chamber election should be a last resort.

"There are three alternative options that the ODS hasn't really explored yet," said Vladimíra Dvořáková, a political scientist at the University of Economics in Prague, "A minority ODS government tolerated by the ČSSD, a grand coalition made up of the ČSSD and the ODS, or a temporary government composed of appointed experts."

The ODS seems to favor a new election because it finds none of the three alternatives particularly appealing, Dvořáková said. Many ODS voters would be disillusioned if the party were to form a coalition with the ČSSD because, as analysts point out, ODS voters in many cases voted for the party to prevent the ČSSD from staying in power.