Adly Mansour took the oath of office as Egypt's interim President on Thursday in front of the Supreme Constitutional Court's (SCC) general assembly; after the armed forces announced late on Wednesday the removal of Mohamed Morsi one year after he was elected President. Defence Minister Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi presented the roadmap for the transitional period on Wednesday in which he stated that the chief of the SCC will be sworn in as a temporary head of state until early presidential elections are held. "I received with deep appreciation the assignment to take over the presidency of Egypt during the transitional period… the assignment came from those who hold power and authority, the Egyptian people," Mansour said. He added that 30 June was a correction to the path of the January 25th revolution. He stressed holding on to the principals and values of the revolution, most important of which, is ending the era of glorifying presidents and transforming them into "demigods". He addressed the armed forces, praising them for not hesitating to support the people and protect the country; he also praised the police for their efforts to protect the protesters and the judges who stood by the people to achieve independence. "I salute the media for their courageous role in exposing the regime," he added. Mansour, 68, holds a Bachelor of Law from Cairo University which he received in 1967; he also conducted postgraduate studies in General Law and Administrative Sciences from the Faculty of Law in 1969 and 1970, according to state news agency MENA. He held several judicial posts until he was appointed counselor to the State Council in 1984 and became deputy head of the State Council in 1992. He became deputy chief of the SCC by the end of 1992 until he was appointed chief of the court after former chief Maher El-Beheiry's term ended on 30 June upon reaching the age of retirement. Mansour is the second temporary head of the Egyptian state after Sufi Abu Taleb, who was the chairman of the People's Assembly and led a brief transitional period after Anwar El-Sadat's assassination. Millions of protesters took to the streets in all governorates on 30 June demanding early presidential elections. Al-Sisi gave the authorities a 48-hour ultimatum that ended on Wednesday, after which he read a statement announcing a roadmap for the transitional period. The roadmap included suspending the constitution temporarily and forming a committee to amend it; the swearing in as temporary head of state, the head of the SCC; early presidential elections; the formation of a caretaker government and a national reconciliation committee.
