Egypt army chief ousts President Morsi

CAIRO - Egypt's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted president Mohamed Morsi on Wednesday and declared the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court caretaker leader.

Sisi, the defence minister in Morsi's government, also announced a freezing of the Islamist-drafted constitution and early presidential elections.

He said a "strong and capable" government would be formed and would have "full capacities".

The army chief said a panel would be formed to look into amendments to the constitution and a law would be drafted to regulate parliamentary elections.

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Egyptian opposition protestors beat a dummy of President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square on July 3, 2013. PHOTO/AFP

After the announcement, delivered by Sisi in a televised address, Morsi denounced the move as an "illegal" and urged Egyptians to "peacefully resist the coup as he himself will do", a senior aide told AFP.

Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei said the roadmap announced by Sisi "meets the the people's demands for early presidential elections".

The army's dramatic move comes after millions of Egyptians took to the streets to call for his ouster, accusing him of betraying the 2011 revolution that brought him to power.

AFP