Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday handed over power temporarily to his prime minister, as he underwent a successful gall-bladder surgery in Germany, Egyptian state media reported. The Egyptian leader is in German hospital convalescing, state TV reported. The 81-year-old leader, who has ruled Egypt since 1981, suffered severe gall bladder inflammation, the state-run Middle East News Agency said. It didn't provide details. He had been on a visit to Germany, and was diagnosed Friday at a hospital in Heidelberg, the statement said. The surgery comes amid years of speculation over Mr. Mubarak's health. Uncertainty over a successor has long clouded Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country and one of Washington's biggest Mideast allies. Mr. Mubarak's health has been closely guarded, and the announcement of the operation was unusual for its relative detail. Images of a weak-looking Mr. Mubarak raised worry when he welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama to Cairo last June. Since then, however, he's appeared fitter and stronger, and he has continued a rigorous public schedule recently. He appeared robust at a news conference Thursday in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Egyptian leader has never publicly indicated a preferred successor and repeatedly refused to name a vice president. Mr. 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, slated for 2011. He and the National Democratic Party, which he chairs, are positioned to choose a successor. His 46-year-old son Gamal Mubarak has long been seen as a likely candidate. State media said Saturday that Mr. Mubarak had turned over power temporarily to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, a technocrat who has been credited with pushing economic reforms. In 2003, Mubarak collapsed during a speech to parliament. He had back surgery in Germany in 2004. He has long rebuffed speculation about his health, by insisting he was in good condition.
