Egypt: Speculation Surrounding Mubarak’s Health Increases Amid Calls for Change

Despite a recent statement by German hospital administrators that President Hosni Mubarak is “well and recovering” nine days after his purported gall bladder surgery, the Egyptian leader still has not appeared publicly – in photographs or otherwise – sparking burgeoning concerns among Egyptian investors and negatively impacting the country’s stock market. Michael Collins Dunn, editor of The Middle East Journal, posits: “At 81, any surgery is likely to take time to recover, but you normally expect a photo of a smiling President in his hospital bed, perhaps talking on the phone to show he’s on top of things. The fact that the President not only has not appeared in public but that photos have also been absent is starting to spur rumors back home.”

As speculators ruminated about Mubarak’s physical state, four of Egypt’s opposition parties – Al-Wafd, Al-Tagamu, Al-Nasseri and Al-Gabha – issued a statement in Cairo calling on Mubarak to step down as head of the ruling National Democratic Party. The group also urged all opposition forces to unite in upcoming parliamentary elections and to coordinate all protests and vigils.

Aladdin Elaasar, former Egyptian presidential candidate, noted that with Egypt now “at a dangerous crossroads” President Obama should “reevaluate American/Egyptian relations.” Citing serious concerns about human rights abuses and rampant poverty, Elaasar predicts that “the U.S. is facing looming dangers in the largest Arab country.” The Washington Post editorial board also joined the chorus against Mubarak, placing great faith in Mohamed ElBaradei‘s movement, which it believes “represents a rare opportunity to liberalize Egypt’s political system.”