Suleiman quits Egyptian presidential race

Ex-vice president Omar Suleiman has announced his withdrawal from the race for the Egyptian presidency. Suleiman, who served under ousted Hosni Mubarak, cited his inability to provide the administrative, organisational and financial requirements for the election campaign.

In the first reaction to Suleiman’s decision, his supporters announced that they will hold a rally on Friday afternoon, April 6, in front of the old Police College building in Abbasia Square, in an attempt to persuade him to change his mind.

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Suleiman’s announcement comes at a time of intensified competition after the Muslim Brotherhood said that it is nominating Engineer Khayrat Al-Shater as its candidate for the presidency. The Islamic movement had said previously that it would not be fielding an official candidate for the election.