Poland's ruling coalition frays ahead of key media vote

Poland's coalition government has been thrown into disarray, after the prime minister sacked his deputy on Tuesday.

Parliament is expected to vote on a draft media law that critics say is an attempt to silence a TV channel critical of the government.

Former Deputy PM Jaroslaw Gowin - who opposes the law change - leads a junior partner in the United Right coalition that has ruled since 2015.

Thousands of people have been protesting against the draft law.

The government said Mr Gowin had "undermined confidence" in its actions.

His party, Agreement, had been increasingly at odds with its senior coalition partner, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's Law and Justice (PiS) party, and has now voted to quit the coalition.

The loss of Agreement's 13 MPs means the coalition will no longer command a majority in the lower house of parliament.

Mr Gowin had criticised the coalition's flagship economic programme, claiming it would lead to tax increases for ordinary Poles.

And he opposes the new broadcasting bill, which he says "clearly violates the principle of media freedom".

Lawmakers are expected to vote on Wednesday evening on an amendment that would strengthen a ban on non-European firms controlling Polish broadcasters. The much-anticipated vote was due in the afternoon but briefly postponed as opposition MPs tried to adjourn the session.

The government says the law is needed to stop hostile foreign powers taking control of its broadcasters.

But opponents say it is an attempt to push US company Discovery to sell the country's biggest TV network, TVN, which is critical of the government. US officials have criticised the bill.

If approved, the law threatens to sour relations with the US, a key ally, and deepen concern in the European Union over media freedom in Poland.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across Poland on Tuesday to express their anger at the proposals.

A crowd gathered outside the parliament in Warsaw, and rallies were held in Krakow, Wroclaw, Poznan, Lublin and Szczecin.

A government spokesman said he thought the bill would still pass, despite Agreement's exit from the governing coalition.

"There will be people in the United Right and in the rest of the Polish parliament who will support the beneficial reforms that we have proposed," he said.