Mubarak's intelligence chief a presidential candidate

Former Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who was long considered to have more power than deposed President Hosni Mubarak, submitted his candidacy for the presidential election today.

Suleiman (74) said that he made the decision to run at the last minute, before the deadline expires tomorrow, because of the large number of requests to do so, according to Reuters.

He, like Mubarak, whose three-decade-long rule ended in February 2011 with mass street protests, has not appeared in public for the past year.

In his final days in power, Mubarak appointed Suleiman as his deputy, one of several failed concessions to stem the revolt against poverty, corruption and draconian security controls.

Many who have led the protests see Suleiman's re-emergence in public life as evidence that the powerful security establishment is determined to reverse the democratic transition before the military hands power to a civilian president at the end of June.

"The youth will not allow Omar Suleiman to become president. The revolution is still alive and we will go to Tahrir Square again if necessary," said Muhamed Fahmi, a participant in last year's protests.