Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (file photo)
Egypt’s army chief has ousted President Mohamed Morsi and dissolved the country’s constitution in a move at resolving the countryâ„¢s debilitating political crisis.
General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made the announcement on state television on Wednesday.
Sisi also said that new parliamentary elections will be held and declared head of Supreme Constitutional Court Adli Mansour as a caretaker leader.
The army announced the roadmap hours after its two-day ultimatum to Morsi came to an end.
Sisi said that the army was fulfilling its “historic responsibility” to protect the country, and Morsi had “failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people.”
There is no indication of Morsi’s current whereabouts.
The army chiefâ„¢s announcement triggered jubilation and fireworks in the streets of Cairo. Elsewhere in the city, Morsiâ„¢s supporters shouted Å“No to military rule.”
In a statement posted on the presidential Facebook, Morsi denounced the armyâ„¢s move as a “military coup,” asking the Egyptians to “abide by the constitution and the law and not to respond to this coup.”
Meanwhile, opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei said the roadmap announced by Sisi Å“meets the people’s demands for early presidential elections.”
Egypt’s second largest Islamist group, the al-Nour Party, also said it agreed to the army roadmap in order to put an end to the countryâ„¢s political crisis.
Reports say that Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood TV channel was taken off the air and its managers arrested after Morsiâ„¢s ouster.
MN/MHB
Republished with permission from: Press TV