POLAND:Poland's leading opposition party has called for the resignation of foreign minister Anna Fotyga, tabling a parliamentary motion of no confidence in her political abilities.
Politicians from the centre-right Civic Platform (PO) attacked her threat last month to veto EU treaty talks unless Poland won concessions on a new voting system.
"Minister Fotyga has seriously weakened the international position of Poland and limited the possibility of effective actions for achieving Poland's foreign policy goals and European goals," said Bronislaw Komorowski, a leading light of the PO.
The party adds that Ms Fotyga, a loyal servant of the ruling Kaczynski brothers, has a poor record on diplomatic personnel.
Poland's EU ambassador position remained empty for nearly a year while the positions in France and Portugal, currently EU president, are still unfilled.
Rumours about Ms Fotyga's future have been circulating around Warsaw for weeks, but the no confidence motion lacks a parliamentary majority and is unlikely to succeed.
"I think the motion was a mistake by the opposition because even if the prime minister wants to dismiss her, now, for political reasons he has to defend her," said Antoni Podolski, senior fellow at Warsaw's Centre for International Relations.
Still, the open attack on Ms Fotyga has found support among other opposition parties and even - privately - among government politicians.
"Fotyga is not oriented in international affairs, she knows nothing of European affairs," said Mr Grzegorz Napieralski, general secretary of the opposition Democratic Left party.
Foreign diplomats are scathing of Ms Fotyga, in particular her inability or unwillingness to make decisions without consulting president Lech Kaczynski or his prime minister brother, Jaroslaw.
They were unimpressed when she called into question the EU summit deal on voting weights just days after it was agreed last month. This week she wrote an article suggesting that Poland would push for further votes in years to come.
Two highly-qualified candidates are being tipped as Ms Fotyga's successor in the midterm: Marek Cicorchki, foreign affairs adviser to President Kaczynski, and Pawel Zalewski, chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee.
"But they both pose a danger to the Kaczynskis because they are independent thinkers," said Mr Podolski, reflecting a widely-held view in Warsaw that the twins favour loyalty over competence.
"Ms Fotyga was ideal because she doesn't have any ideas of her own and is without any ambition about own political career."