WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A government official is denying rumors that the illness of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland's powerful ruling party leader, has sparked infighting at highest political levels.

Kaczynski, 69, was recently hospitalized and has been out of public view for weeks. The hospital said it treated him for osteoarthritis in a knee, though the health minister recently said not admitting him "would have threatened his life."

His absence has generated intense speculation about who would eventually replace Kaczynski, who is seen as the real power behind the government. Rumors are rife of inner-party factions fighting for control.

Deputy Prime Minister Beata Szydlo denied the reports of infighting, saying Thursday in a radio interview that "everything in Law and Justice is in the best order. The king is one. Chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski is king."