Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (file photo)<\/p>\n
Egypt’s army chief has ousted President Mohamed Morsi and dissolved the country’s constitution in a move at resolving the country\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s debilitating political crisis.\n<\/p>\n
General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made the announcement on state television on Wednesday.\n<\/p>\n
Sisi also said that new parliamentary elections will be held and declared head of Supreme Constitutional Court Adli Mansour as a caretaker leader.\n<\/p>\n
The army announced the roadmap hours after its two-day ultimatum to Morsi came to an end.\n<\/p>\n
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.”\n<\/p>\n
There is no indication of Morsi’s current whereabouts.\n<\/p>\n
The army chief\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s announcement triggered jubilation and fireworks in the streets of Cairo. Elsewhere in the city, Morsi\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s supporters shouted \u00c5\u201cNo to military rule.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
In a statement posted on the presidential Facebook, Morsi denounced the army\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s move as a “military coup,\u201d asking the Egyptians to “abide by the constitution and the law and not to respond to this coup.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei said the roadmap announced by Sisi \u00c5\u201cmeets the people’s demands for early presidential elections.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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 country\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s political crisis.\n<\/p>\n
Reports say that Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood TV channel was taken off the air and its managers arrested after Morsi\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s ouster.\n<\/p>\n
MN\/MHB\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n