In the aftermath of the intervention of the armed forces which deposed the Morsi government, Adly Mansur, president of the Constitutional Court of Egypt, was sworn in as interim president of the republic. Shortly before, Mansour had taken the oath to effectively assume the leadership of the Consulta since the high magistrate also held this position only provisionally.
"The Muslim Brotherhood is part of the nation" said Mansour following the oath, inviting them to "share in the construction of the nation". The new President of the Republic then promised that he will work for a "modern, constitutional, national and civil country". After pledging to protect Egypt's interests, Mansour praised the demonstrators who "united the Egyptian people by correcting the path of their glorious revolution."
Mansour, 67 and a father of three, studied at the prestigious National School of Administration in Paris before embarking on a career as a judge under Hosni Mubarak's regime. He has practiced in religious courts but also in civil and criminal courts. Unlike key opposition leaders – such as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed elBaradei or former Arab League secretary Amr Moussa – his name has never appeared among Morsi's potential successors. This relative anonymity has probably catalysed the interest of the military, intent on using a neutral figure to ensure a complex, very complex transition.
Following what happened in Egypt, there was no shortage of international reactions. The European Union and the United States have launched an appeal for the organization of new presidential elections as soon as possible. Even the secretary general of the UN, Ban ki-Moon, has expressed concern about "military interference" in matters of the state.
Britain said it was ready to recognize the new administration in Egypt and work with it, said Foreign Minister William Hague, reiterating the need for a swift return to the democratic process.
On the other hand, Turkey's stance is tough: for Ankara, Morsi's deposition is unacceptable and it is "a military coup", said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
