Egyptian blogs and websites like Twitter have been buzzing with rumors that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has died
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The rumors are so strong that the Egyptian stock market dropped by over 6 percent in the past two days amid concerns about the president's health, especially since the question of succession in Egypt is still unclear.
"If Mubarak was able to say just say 'hi,' the television would have shown him saying 'hi,' but he is in a total coma,"said one post on Twitter.
A spokesman at the Egyptian embassy in Washington vehemently denied the rumor today to
CBS News, saying that he should be released from the hospital in Germany in a number of days.
Mubarak's German medical team at Heidelberg University Hospital also issued statements through the Egyptian government saying Mubarak was recovering normally.
But the fact that the 81-year-old Mubarak has not appeared publicly since the surgery is fueling the rumors. Mubarak has been ruled Egypt since 1981 and is the country's longest-serving president. Mubarak has temporarily delegated powers to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, next in line with the constitution.
There are now reports that Mubarak will make a statement by phone from his hospital in Germany to dismiss the rumors. The President's health is an extremely sensitive issue in Egypt and especially as it is still unclear who will succeed Mubarak. Mubarak did not announce yet if he will be running for president during the 2011 elections and many believe he has been grooming his son Gamal for the post.
"The people don't care if it's Mubarak or somebody else. If Mubarak dies, the people might choose Gamal willingly and say poor man his father just passed away," joked one person on Twitter.
وفاة الرئيس حسني مبارك.. شائعة تهزّ الشارع المصري!!
العرض العادي
