Confusion surrounds the health of ousted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Egyptian TV announced the 84-year-old was “clinically dead,” something the ruling military council categorically denied.

Throughout the night updates concerning his condition were issued, many proved to be inaccurate.

Hosni Mubarak who ruled Egypt for 30 years was sentenced to life imprisonment on June 2 and his health has been portrayed as poor by officials over the past year. The announcement comes at a time of high tension in Egypt over the election of a civilian president.

Mubarak’s long time opponents, the Muslim Brotherhood, claim their candidate won the weekend’s presidential run-off against Mubarak’s former prime minister, but the result remains unclear.

A few well-wishers gathered outside the Cairo hospital:

“May Allah have mercy on his soul if he has passed away. He did many good things for the country and we will not forget his deeds,” said one supporter.

Most Egyptians are more concerned with the direction the country is to take in future than the wellbeing of the former president:

“Mubarak is no longer in our hearts, he has no value to us anymore, we need to focus on the now and what’s coming, what’s been done is done but may god fix his situation,” said one man on Tahrir Square.

The results of last weekend’s election are due to be announced later this week.

SOURCE: euronews