On October 7, a clash in the Polish Sejm saw PiS MP Bartosz Kownacki accused of drunkenness by Marshal Adam Szlapa, a claim later disproved by a breathalyzer test.
Context of the Debate
On October 7 in the Sejm, PiS MP Bartosz Kownacki asked government spokesperson Adam Szlapa where Donald Tusk was. KO MP Jacek Karnowski then suggested that Kownacki go to the parliamentary kitchen “to drink with Matecki.” He may have been alluding to recent reports by “Rzeczpospolita” that PiS MPs, including Dariusz Matecki, loudly celebrated the swearing‑in of Karol Nawrocki at the parliamentary hotel. The incident culminated in police intervention.
Szlapa Accuses Kownacki of Intoxication
Responding to Karnowski’s remarks, Kownacki replied that “MP Matecki may drink because he is ill.” Szlapa asked, “Fool, upset? Does he have a hangover?” Kownacki answered that he has cancer, added that people laugh about Ziobro having cancer, and claimed that Tusk supposedly has cancer as well. The government spokesman then declared that the PiS politician was intoxicated, stating, “I taste the alcohol from him. Marshal, I perceive alcohol from MP Kownacki. But clearly.” Kownacki subsequently underwent a breath‑alcohol test, which found no alcohol in his system. He said afterward, “MP Szlapa accused me of being under the influence… I am waiting for an apology.”
Political Reactions
The recording triggered polarized responses among MPs. Dariusz Matecki called Szlapa “a primitive figure.” Meanwhile, Witold Zembaczyński of KO described the incident as “a sting in the PiS mould.”
