Q&A: Egypt in turmoil

Egypt has been thrown into turmoil once again, after the army ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi a year after his election.

What happened?

The head of the armed forces, Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, announced late on 3 July that the constitution had been suspended and that Chief Justice Adly Mansour would oversee an interim period with a technocratic government until presidential and parliamentary elections are held.

Several of Egypt's most influential figures gave their approval to the ousting of Mohammed Morsi. They included Egypt's highest Islamic authority the Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar, the head of the Christian Coptic Church, leading opposition figure Mohammed ElBaradei, and the hard-line Salafist Nour party.

Troops backed by armoured vehicles secured key sites in the capital, Cairo, as hundreds of thousands of opposition protesters and Mr Morsi's Islamic supporters took to the streets.

Who is Mohammed Morsi and how did he become Egyptian leader?

Mohammed Morsi rose through the ranks of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement that was banned for decades, becoming chairman of its political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party.

He narrowly won the presidential vote in June 2012, becoming Egypt's first democratically elected president. That election, which was generally considered free and fair, followed a turbulent period of military rule after long-time leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February 2011.

What triggered the latest protests?

During Mr Morsi's year in office, he fell out with key institutions and sectors of society, and was seen by many Egyptians as doing little to tackle economic and social problems.

Egypt became polarised between Mr Morsi's Islamist supporters and their opponents, who include leftists, liberals and secularists.

On 30 June 2013 millions took to the streets to mark the first anniversary of the president's inauguration, in a protest organised by the Tamarod (Revolt) movement.

The protests prompted the military to warn President Morsi on 1 July that it would intervene and impose its own "roadmap" if he did not satisfy the public's demands within 48 hours.

As the deadline approached, Mr Morsi insisted that he was Egypt's legitimate leader. He warned that any effort to remove him by force could plunge the country into chaos.

Why did the military act now?

With no political resolution to the crisis, and the death toll from clashes associated with the unrest growing, the Egyptian military seized power in an apparent effort to avoid chaos.

The military is the most powerful government entity, and many say it operates like a state within a state. Military-owned businesses make up a significant proportion of Egypt's economy.

What will happen next?

Gen Sisi said Mr Mansour would take charge during a "transitional period until a new president is elected".

The general promised "not to exclude anyone or any movement" and called for measures to "empower youths and integrate them in state institutions".

However, he did not define the length of the transitional period or what role the military would play.

The stability of the transition has already been undermined by the failure to agree a candidate for interim prime minister, after the selection of Mr ElBaradei caused rifts.

What has happened to Mohammed Morsi?

The ousted president is under arrest at an undisclosed location.

Several other senior figures from the Muslim Brotherhood have also been detained, including its powerful deputy leader Khairat al-Shater who is accused of inciting violence.

The Brotherhood has said it will not work with the military-backed political process.

Speaking after the deaths of at least 51 people outside Cairo's Presidential Guard Barracks, the Freedom and Justice Party called for "an uprising" against "those trying to steal their revolution with tanks".