Cairo: A poster campaign requesting Egypt`s intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, to run for the 2011 presidency has been launched here.
Activists have launched the campaign by plastering posters with Suleiman`s picture and the slogan "the true alternative is Omar Suleiman as president" in a number of neighbourhoods across the city.
The campaign has also issued a statement saying Suleiman is the only possible figure to lead the country in extremely difficult times as it faces external threats and internal disturbances.
"Lt Omar Suleiman with his decent history in national service and his role in Egypt`s critical and important foreign issues represents a true alternative to the current figures.”
"He has the needed acceptance on the internal front by the opposition and some reasonable parties within the ruling system as well as plausibility on the international scene for his decent reputation and honourable repertoire and prominent role in Egypt`s foreign policy," the statement added.
Some newspapers describe Suleiman as the actual vice president due to his effective role in issues related to foreign affairs. Due to his pivotal role in communications with Israel, Suleiman was named by the Financial Times as the man of "close room diplomacy".
President Hosni Mubarak, 82 and in power since 1981, has not said if he will seek a sixth term in 2011.
Waves of ongoing efforts in support of former United Nations nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei, opposition activist Ayman Nur and most recently Mubarak`s son, Gamal, have sprung up around Egypt.
PTI
