After announcing that he would run for the presidency, Mubarak's vice president and long-time intelligence chief pays a short visit to the presidential elections commission to 'inquire' about the application process Omar Suleiman reportedly headed Saturday to the headquarters of theSupreme Presidential Electoral Commission(SPEC) and exited within minutes of arriving. Security tightened around the SPEC headquarters prior to Suleiman's arrival. Military police guarding the building prevented media representatives from reaching Suleiman as he was escorted to his car on his way out. Shortly after his departure, the secretary-general of SPEC, Hatem Bagato, came out to meet media representatives standing outside the building, saying that the purpose of Suleiman's visit was to only "inquire" about the application procedure to run for the presidency and not to officially submit his application. Suleiman, Mubarak's long-time intelligence chief and former vice president announced Friday he would run for the presidency, ostensibly in response to a rally by hundreds in Cairo calling on him to change his mind after he announced Thursday that he would not run. The deadline for SPEC receiving presidential candidacy applications is tomorrow, Sunday 8 April. Suleimanis required, along with all other presidential candidates, to collect 30,000 recommendation from across at least 15 governorates, or 30 MP endorsements, or to run as an official representative of a political party with at least one seat in parliament. Presidential elections will take place 23-24 May, with the president named 21 June after a run-off vote — if necessary — 16-17 June. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/38692.aspx
