Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will undergo an operation on his gall bladder in Germany on Saturday, state television announced Friday after the veteran leader complained of pain. The ageing president had complained of gall bladder pain while in Germany for talks with Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany.
Mubarak temporarily delegated presidential power to Ahmed Nazif, the country's prime minister.
"Whenever there is a health issue with president, all of a sudden questions of succession rise to the forefront of Egyptian politics, tremendous speculation, some concern and anxiety, and this is just one of those examples.
"The succession issue is one of the most hotly contested issues in Egypt right now. For good reason, it's tied into the issue of democratization and reform and so on."
In 2007, speculation snowballed to the extent that the president was forced to make an unscheduled public appearance to put a rest to the rumours.
One year later, Ibrahim Eissa, the editor in the chief of the independent daily al-Dustur, was sentenced to two months in jail after his newspaper published rumours on Mubarak's health in 2008, before receiving a presidential pardon.
President Hosni Mubarak turns 82 this year.
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