Polish minister sacked amid scandals

Mr Buzek's Solidarity is under threat from Mr Kaczynski

By the BBC's Ray Furlong

Polish Justice Minister Lech Kaczynski has been sacked following a scandal in which he was accused by the country's main television station of defrauding the state.

No official reason for the sacking has been given, but it comes after a public row between Mr Kaczynski, one of Poland's most popular politicians, and the Prime Minister, Jerzy Buzek, who heads the ruling Solidarity bloc.

A former child actor, Mr Kaczynski was one of the few ministers to emerge with public credit from the current government, which is deeply unpopular with voters.

Mr Kaczynski claims the TV programme was politically motivated

But recently he has been dogged by controversy.

First, Poland's main television station TVP ran documentaries accusing him of fraud.

He said the programmes were politically motivated and even gained the support of many TVP journalists in this.

Then he was publicly criticised on Sunday by Mr Buzek over his handling of a row between the police and the secret service.

Elections loom

But Mr Buzek may have other reasons to chastise Mr Kaczynski.

General elections are to be held in September and support for Mr Buzek's solidarity bloc is disintegrating.

The latest survey suggests Solidarity may not even get back into parliament.

In this atmosphere, Mr Kaczynski has left Solidarity and formed his own party, called Law and Justice.

It has quickly gained 10% support, drawing many voters away from Solidarity.

This sacking again highlights how divided Poland's centre-right forces are after four years in government.

The former Communist Democratic Left Party is anticipating a landslide victory in September.