Egypt protests: People to watch

Omar Suleiman, who Mubarak appointed vice president this weekend (the first vice president in 30 years), was previously Mubarak’s intelligence chief and is a close associate. He has strong support in the Egyptian military, Egypt’s strongest institution, because of a distinguished military career. He has also worked closely with the CIA on the rendition and interrogation of terrorist suspects (and, some say, their torture) and has acted to mediate between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, as well as between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas. He’s been considered a possible successor to Mubarak for years, though his close relationship with the president makes makes him unpalatable to many protesters.