* Jan Fischer appointed caretaker PM
* EU presidency, economic crisis, budget are priorities
* Fischer's EU role seen difficult
(Adds analyst quotes, background)
By Jan Korselt
PRAGUE, April 9 (Reuters) - Czech President Vaclav Klaus
appointed non-partisan Jan Fischer as prime minister on Thursday
following a political crisis in the ex-communist country halfway
through its European Union presidency.
Fischer will take over from Mirek Topolanek on May 9,
replacing his centre-right minority government after it lost a
March 24 no-confidence vote initiated by the leftist opposition.
Fischer will start picking his ministers next week and his
administration, to be made up of non-party experts, will lead
the country until early polls planned for October.
"This government will have to cope with the EU presidency
... and within its capabilities mitigate the impact of the
economic crisis," Fischer, head of the country's statistical
office, said following his appointment.
He said the government would also have to prepare the 2010
budget, a key task because the country's fiscal gap threatens to
jump above 4 percent of gross domestic product both this year
and next as revenues fall and parliament plans tax cuts and
extra spending.
Topolanek, who cut income taxes, raised the retirement age
and tightened the budget, is stepping down after losing the
no-confidence vote. It had been backed by the opposition and
several rebel deputies, toppling his faction-ridden cabinet.
Fischer's new cabinet will be supported by the two biggest
political parties, Topolanek's right-wing Civic Democrats and
the opposition Social Democrats, who together control three
quarters of seats in the lower house of parliament.
Fischer said he had no political ambitions and wanted to
return to the statistical office following the October election.
EU ROLE SEEN TOUGH TASK
Analysts say Fischer should not face major obstacles
tackling the economic turmoil after parties from the outgoing
coalition and the leftist opposition Social Democrats agreed on
Wednesday to support a set of compromise measures to combat the
crisis. []
But they warned the EU presidency, tarnished by the last
government's collapse, would be a tough task because Fischer is
an outsider with no political weight.
"European politicians will not see him as an equivalent
partner with whom they communicate on an everyday basis," said
Pavel Saradin, a political science lecturer at Palacky
University in Olomouc.
Fischer's administration should keep close ties with the old
one through deputy ministers, he said.
"I expect a close cooperation with deputy ministers... and
creation of some kind of a communication platform that would
include the old administration, with Fischer working as a
mediator between the two environments rather than someone to
make big decisions."
The new cabinet's EU role, ending on June 30, will probably
be limited, given it will lead the bloc for under two months.
Fischer is a media-shy and cautious man who rarely speaks in
public. He was a member of the Communist party in the 1980s,
like many professionals who sought to further their careers.
President Klaus -- a Eurosceptic who has repeatedly played
down the significance of the EU presidency -- said he had no
doubt the Czechs would complete it without any problems.
(Writing by Jana Mlcochova; Editing by Charles Dick)
