Mr. Mubarak’s former deputy, Omar Suleiman, has been considered a potential candidate for months and his formal entry is unlikely to shake up the race. In a recent poll taken by Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, a state-financed research institution, about 9 percent of voters volunteered Mr. Suleiman as the candidate they would choose, putting him in fourth place. The poll was completed before the popular Muslim Brotherhood nominated its own candidate, Khairat el-Shater…

Now Mr. Suleiman’s relationship with Egypt’s military rulers and with the country’s new Islamist parties is a subject of renewed speculation. As he announced his candidacy, some analysts here argued that Mr. Suleiman could become the military’s presidential pick. Mr. Suleiman, the argument goes, would be the military’s champion to prevent the election of a president more determined to subject the military’s power to civilian control.

Still, his relationship with the generals is unclear. His entry into the race, however, could draw support away from other former officials of the old government. The most popular candidate in Al Ahram’s poll was Amr Moussa, a former foreign minister under Mr. Mubarak who became general secretary of the Arab League…

Mr. Shater, in an interview with Reuters on Sunday, called Mr. Suleiman’s candidacy “an insult to the revolution and the Egyptian people.” He said that Mr. Suleiman could “only win through forgery and, if this happens, the revolution will kick off again.”