Wojciech Olejniczak (photo), leader of the Democratic Left told Polish Radio on Wednesday morning that ex-president Aleksander Kwasniewski’s “indisposition”, as he appeared before the audience of the Left and Democrats’ (LiD) convention in Szczecin on Tuesday, was caused by medicines, not alcohol.

Wojciech Olejniczak said on the radio that more attention should be paid to the content of Kwasniewski address instead of gossip spread by the press. SLD leader reminded that the former president’s speech was full of criticism towards the current government.

“I am on medication that cannot be combined with alcohol, so I do not combine it [with alcohol]”, Kwasniewski replied to journalists asking him if he was drunk when making his speech in Szczecin.

Kwasniewski, though not standing for parliament himself in the October 21 elections, is the main ‘face’ of the Left and Democrats campaign.

The former president has been accused of being drunk while on official engagements before.

In September he was filmed, apparently drunk, when delivering a lecture in Ukraine.

And in 1999, when he was head of state, Kwasniewski was unsteady on his feet when honouring the victims of the Katyn massacre in Kharkov, Ukraine.