Egypt's Revolution Youth Union (RYU), a product of the January 25 Revolution, sharply criticised the candidature of Hosni Mubarak's former vice president, Omar Suleiman, for the presidency, warning of its implications.

"The nomination signifies reproduction of the old regime and a political coup against the January 25 uprising and the martyrs of freedom who lost their lives for the sake of democracy," the RYU said.

Member of the RYU Executive Office Amr Hamed said that the presidential candidature of Suleiman was a "deceptive move" that contradicts the desire of millions of Egyptians who revolted last year, cornering all government-owned institutions and buildings in order to press for socio-political reform and the end to the 30-year tyrannical rule of Mubarak.

In a related development, the RYU condemned the drafting of a new constitution under the rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), especially with the presence of Article 28 in the Constiutional Declaration. The article stipulates that the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) represents Egypt’s highest judicial authority, the decisions of which cannot be appealed.

Suleiman issued a statement Friday afternoon announcing that he would run in Egypt's presidential race in response to a rally that took place earlier Friday in Abbasiya, Cairo, by hundreds of his supporters who demanded Mubarak's long-time right-hand make a presidential bid.

The 75-year-old candidate had announced Thursday that he wouldn't seek the country's highest office due to the "difficult political situation" and because he "could not fulfill the conditions required to become an official candidate."