Egypt ousts Morsi, installs chief justice as interim head

The head of Egypt's armed forces issued a declaration on Wednesday suspending the constitution and appointing the chief justice of the Supreme constitutional Court as interim head of state.

The military move came after Islamist President Mohamed Morsi refused to step down despite its ultimatum.

In a televised broadcast, flanked by military leaders, religious authorities and political figures, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi effectively declared the removal of elected Mursi.

Sisi called for early presidential and parliamentary elections, a panel to review the suspended Islamist constitution and a national reconciliation committee that would include youth movements. He said the road map had been agreed by a range of political groups.

Sisi said a government of technocrats will be appointed to run the country during a transition period he did not specify.

An aide of ousted President Morsi, Ayman Ali, said the former leader has been moved to an undisclosed location. He gave no details.

Cheers erupted among millions of protesters nationwide who were demanding Morsi's ouster. Fireworks lit the Cairo night sky. Morsi supporters elsewhere in the city shouted ''No to military rule.''

A statement on the Egyptian president's office's Twitter account has quoted Morsi as saying the military measures "represent a full coup categorically rejected by all the free men of our nation".

His ouster comes after the military set a deadline for Morsi to either work things out with protesters critical of his leadership, or step down.

According to several media accounts, dozens of people have been killed since Sunday in violence between opponents and supports of Morsi, who took office in June last year as Egypt's first freely elected leader.

In a television address early Wednesday morning, Morsi ignored massive protests calling for him to resign, reminding Egyptians of his election and about the need to protect his constitutional legacy.

The statement showed that Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood - who sought power for 80 years before obtaining it last year - were prepared to run the risk of challenging the army.

Although Morsi remains popular among many Islamist supporters, other Egyptians are angry over what they see as efforts to impose religious controls through the Muslim Brotherhood, and Morsi's failures to deal with the country's multiple problems, including a devastated economy.