Posters supporting Egypt's spy chief as a candidate in next year's presidential election were removed from Cairo's streets hours after they appeared, as an independent newspaper was ordered to pull reports of the campaign from its pages, officials said Friday. The posters bore an image of Lt. Gen. Omar Suleiman in a dark business suit and sunglasses and waving his right hand.
Suleiman is a close aide of President Mubarak.
The campaigners behind the posters, which dubbed Suleiman the "real alternative," claim they oppose a possible succession in which Mubarak passes power to his son, Gamal.
Suleiman, 74, has been Egypt's intelligence chief for nearly two decades. He is a close Mubarak adviser and is in charge of Egypt's most pressing foreign policy issues.
