Egypt leader comments on presidential poll

Egypt’s interim president has said that the government is committed to holding parliamentary and presidential elections within six months of the approval of a new constitution, set to be voted on next month.

Adly Mansour said on Sunday that presidential elections can come before parliamentary ones, without violating a military-backed roadmap devised after a coup ousted former President Mohamed Morsi on July 3.

The new constitution, which Egyptians are scheduled to vote for on January 14-15, would allow the presidential vote to come first, Mansour said.

Backers of the road map have pushed for electing a president first amid continued opposition from Morsi supporters to the current government.

Mansour’s declaration was the first official signal that Egypt may amend the transition plan adopted in the wake of the coup that toppled Morsi following widespread popular protests.

It also means Egypt would have an elected government by next summer to replace the one installed by the army.

Almost daily protests continue across Egypt against military rule, nearly six months after he was overthrown, and clashes have broken out in major cities.

Morsi was the country’s first elected president, taking power after the toppling of veteran leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011.