PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czechs will choose a new parliament at the weekend in an election intended to restore stability after last year`s government collapse, but deadlock looks the most likely result. Opinion polls show that no currently envisaged alliance will clinch a majority of the 200 seats in the powerful lower house, and that intensive horsetrading, to be brokered by President Vaclav Havel, will follow the vote. The centre-left Social Democrats (CSSD) lead opinion polls, ahead of the centre-right Civic Democratic Party (ODS), and are the most likely to form the core of the next administration. But they appear too weak to gain a majority, even with a coalition partner. Numerous coalition scenarios are possible on the highly fragmented political scene, which is further complicated by personal animosity between some party leaders. They say the country needs further economic reforms, and any minority cabinet would have limited power. This weekend`s election was called for June 19-20 after the centre-right minority government, shaken by its weak position in parliament, an economic slowdown and a currency crisis, fell late last year over a funding scandal in Klaus`s ODS. In all, 13 parties are running and seven have a real chance to surpass the five percent

threshold necessary to win seats. Two parties - the largely unreconstructed Communists and the ultra-right Republicans - may win 15-20 percent of the vote between them, but are seen as untouchable as coalition partners. The Social Democrats may be forced to form a minority cabinet. The CSSD, which has not been part of any administration since the 1989 fall of communism, would like to form a government with the centrist Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), and the far-left Pensioners party, whose popularity seems to have peaked after soaring from nowhere to 10 percent. The Christian Democrats have, however, ruled out working with the Pensioners. Both the ODS and US have said they will not support him. Polls suggest a grand coalition of Klaus`s ODS and the Social Democrats could secure a majority. Both parties have vigorously denied media speculation of such cooperation but the option is still intensively debated in the media and among politicians. The Christian Democrats, who were the first to pull the plug on the cabinet last November, have also refused to join with the ODS again if Klaus remains chairman. On top of that, the Social Democrats have made clear they would not tolerate another such minority cabinet.