Adly Mansour, the chief justice of Egypt's Supreme Court has been sworn in as the country's interim leader, a day after the military ousted Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi.
After taking the oath Thursday, Adly Mansour praised the protesters who had called for Morsi resign.
Army chief Abdul Fatah Khalil Al-Sisi gave a televised address Wednesday saying the army is heeding the call of the Egyptian people and suspending the country's barely six-month-old constitution.
He laid out a roadmap for the government's future, including installing the interim leader, a panel to review the constitution, a national reconciliation committee, and fresh elections for president and parliament. He said the roadmap had been agreed to by a range of political groups.
Analyst Adel Abdel Ghafar with the Australian National University told VOA the statement "really stressed inclusivity," but that it is too early to tell if Mr. Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood will be involved in the new Egyptian government.
“The army has stressed that it does not want to rule and elections will be in place and we'll have an elected president within six to eight months, and the Muslim Brotherhood will be very free to stand in this election," he said. "If they win, the results will be accepted. But hopefully if they ever get power again, they will have learned from their mistakes and be more inclusive in their style of government.”
What began as massive protests drawing millions at sites across the country Sunday ended Wednesday with Morsi in military custody. State media said arrest warrants were also issued for 300 members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Both Sisi and Morsi called for Egyptians to remain peaceful. Morsi said on his Twitter account the military's action amounted to a "full coup" and urged the Egyptian people to reject the move.
The protests have been largely peaceful, but fighting between supporters and opponents of Morsi have left nearly 50 people dead.
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Egyptian military jets fly over Cairo as the head of Egypt's constitution court Adly Mansour was sworn in as interim head of state, July 4, 2013.
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Adly Mansour gestures at his swearing in ceremony as the nation's interim president in Cairo, July 4, 2013.
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This image made from Egyptian State Television shows Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour, center, standing with judges during a swearing in ceremony in at the constitutional court in Cairo, July 4, 2013.
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Anti-Morsi protesters chant as they celebrate into the night after the announcement of his removal from office, Tahrir Square in Cairo, July 3, 2013.
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Opponents of Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi celebrate outside the presidential palace in Cairo, July 3, 2013.
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Fireworks light up the sky as opponents of Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi celebrate in Tahrir Square in Cairo, July 3, 2013.
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A supporter of Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi weeps as she clutches his picture, Cairo, July 3, 2013.
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Fireworks light the sky moments after Egypt's military chief said the president was being replaced by the chief justice of the constitutional court, Cairo, July 3, 2013.
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Morsi supporters react after the Egyptian army's statement was read out on state TV, at the Raba El-Adwyia mosque square in Cairo, July 3, 2013.
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Egyptians celebrate at a tea house in Cairo after Defense Minister General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's televised statement, July 3, 2013.
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Egyptian Defense Minister Abdelfatah al-Sissi delivering a statement as the army unveils a roadmap for Egypt's political future, July 3, 2013. (Egyptian TV photo)
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Army soldiers take their positions in front of Morsi opponents, near the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo, July 3, 2013.
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Anti-President Mohamed Morsi protesters watch a speech by him on TV at a cafe in Tahrir Square in Cairo, July 2, 2013.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for calm and a preservation of fundamental rights in Egypt, including freedom of speech and assembly.
The army has deployed troops, commandos and armored vehicles in cities around the country to guard against violence.
Cairo's Tahrir Square, which was the epicenter of protests that brought down former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, was calm Thursday with remnants of days of protests sitting in the center of the square. On Wednesday, fireworks burst over dancing crowds there, one of the scenes of celebration by millions of anti-Morsi protesters following the army chief's announcement.
Fearing a backlash against Americans, U.S. officials have ordered an evacuation of American embassy personnel in Cairo.
Adly Mansour
• Named interim president July 3, 2013
• Headed the Supreme Constitutional Court for just two days before named Egypt's interim leader
• Appointed by Mohamed Morsi to be chief justice of the Supreme Constitution Court
• Climbed through Egypt's judicial ranks starting in the 1970s
• Studied law at Cairo University and at France's Ecole Nationale de l'Administration
• Born in 1945 in Cairo