Cairo In an apparent bid to quash rumours about his health, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has recently intensified his public appearances in Egypt and abroad. On a single day (October 5), Mubarak, 82, went to the coastal city of Ismailia, some 110km northeast of Cairo, where he met senior commanders of the army and opened a military hospital, then he returned to Cairo where he presided over an annual meeting with the Supreme Army Council and visited the Cenotaph of the Unknown Soldier to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the October War against Israel.
Three-day trip
Days earlier, he visited Germany and Italy for a three-day trip. In Cairo, Mubarak has recently conferred with foreign visitors, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, apparently to emphasise Egypt’s role in pushing forward regional peacemaking, according to observers.
Earlier this month, Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981, held a series of ministerial meetings to give orders on solving local problems ranging from a dispute on a questionable state-owned land sale, soaring prices, and a shortage of textbooks.
“Mubarak wants to send a clear message that he is still fit to rule,” said Mahmoud Hassan, a political analyst and a writer.
“Over recent months, there has been massive controversy over who will rule the country and whether he will seek a new term in 2011. His high-profile appearances and physical fitness show beyond doubt that he intends to keep power until the last breath as he once said,” Hassan told Gulf News.
Mubarak’s fifth term expires next October and has not said yet if he will run in next year’s presidential election.
Declining health
There have been rumours that his health is in decline since he underwent surgery in Germany to have his gall bladder removed last March.
Mubarak, an ex-army officer, has never appointed a vice-president, saying he does not want to impose a successor on people.
Reuters