Ex-Egyptian spy chief Suleiman changes mind, enters presidential race April 6, 2012 -- Updated 1815 GMT (0215 HKT) A supporter of Omar Suleiman holds a poster Friday in Cairo. It says: "Run, run, don't leave us to the Muslim Brotherhood." Omar Suleiman says he'll run for president of Egypt, reversing an earlier decision He served as intelligence chief and vice president under President Hosni Mubarak The upcoming presidential election is the first since Mubarak's ouster last year (CNN) -- Omar Suleiman, whom former President Hosni Mubarak had appointed vice president shortly before his exit, announced Friday that he plans to enter the race to become Egypt's next president. The former head of Egyptian intelligence recently said he did not plan to seek the presidency in the first election for the post since the revolution that led to Mubarak's exit. But on Friday, as thousands took to the streets urging him to run, Suleiman did an about-face and said he will now "participate in the nominations, regardless of my previous statement about the difficulties and challenges." "I promise you, my brothers and sisters, to complete the goals of the revolution and provide security and stability to the Egyptian people," he said in a written statement. Journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report.