The general coordinator of former Vice President Omar Suleiman’s presidential campaign said he took the decision to run for president after Islamist groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, tried to seize all the positions of power.
On Friday, Suleiman backtracked on a previous decision not to run for the presidency.
Rime Mamdouh added that Suleiman also decided to run due to the country's deteriorating economy and security situation.
She claimed that Suleiman has attributes that qualify him to run the country in the upcoming period.
She said that members of the campaign met with Suleiman several times to persuade him to run for the presidency but that he refused.
“When he said he would not run two days ago, several people were shocked, for there are several citizens and public figures who had pinned their hopes on him, such as comedian Adel Imam, actor Mohamed Sobhy and writer Lamis Gaber.”
Major General Saad Abbas, a close friend of Suleiman, said his friend’s candidacy is not surprising as the country needs him right now. He also said Suleiman's supporters gathered thousands of endorsements for him from several governorates.
Suleiman, 74, was head of military intelligence and the General Intelligence Services under former President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak named him vice president in January last year during a massive popular uprising, in a failed attempt to appease protesters.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
