Saturday, Mar 06, 2010
DUBAI (Zawya Dow Jones)--Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in power since 1981, will undergo gall bladder surgery in Germany today after suffering severe inflammation, state-run Middle East News Agency reports Saturday.
The 81-year-old president has handed over power temporarily to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, MENA reports.
The Egyptian leader, who has never indicated a preferred successor and repeatedly refused to name a vice president, showed no signs of frailty at Thursday's news conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In June, Mubarak appeared feeble when greeting visiting U.S. President Barack Obama, triggering a fresh wave of speculation about the longtime strongman's health. Since then, he has appeared to be in better shape.
Mubarak is serving his fifth consecutive six-year term as president, and has not said whether he will seek a sixth term in the next presidential election in 2011. He and the National Democratic Party, which he chairs, are positioned to choose a successor amid speculation that his 46-year-old son Gamal Mubarak is being groomed to succeed him.
In 2003, Mubarak collapsed during a speech to parliament and he had back surgery in Germany in 2004. He has insisted he is in good health.
-By Summer Said, Dow Jones Newswires; +97150 2951855; summer.said@dowjones.com
Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Co.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
06-03-10 0931GMT
