Candidate says he will restore Egypt

CAIRO -- Egypt's former intelligence chief said his presidential bid isn't an effort to restore the ousted regime he served, as his rival, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, blamed economic woes on the Hosni Mubarak era.

Omar Suleiman, Mubarak's deputy in the last days of his rule, told the state-run newspaper al-Akhbar that last year's uprising created a "new reality" that cannot be reversed. He promised rapid measures to restore stability and fight crime.

The comments, a day after presidential nominations closed, show Suleiman laying out a law-and-order platform and seeking to distance himself from his former boss as he prepares for elections due to start May 23. His entry into the race drew accusations that the ruling generals were trying to revive the old regime.

The contest begins against a backdrop of a struggling economy and a wave of crime. The central bank has spent more than half the country's international reserves since the start of 2011, seeking to defend the currency. A $3.2 billion International Monetary Fund loan has yet to be concluded, with the Brotherhood opposing it.

Millionaire businessman Khairat el-Shater, the leading Brotherhood nominee for the presidency, criticized Suleiman's candidacy. "I think his entry in the race is a kind of an insult to the revolution and to the Egyptian people because he was one of Mubarak's main symbols," he was quoted as saying by state-run Middle East News Agency. -- Bloomberg News