Egypt's interim President Adli Mansour announced a swift timetable for elections to drag the Arab world's biggest country out of crisis following the military ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi last week that has triggered violent clashes.
The declaration comes after deadly clashes with the military Monday where more than 50 pro-Morsi protesters were reportedly killed.
The interim head of the state will appoint two committees for amending the constitution, which was drafted under the ousted President Mohammed Morsi, according to the Reuters.
However, senior officials of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood rejected the interim President Mansour's poll decree and called for more protests across the country.
Rejecting the poll decree, Erian, deputy chairman of the Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), said that the declaration was "a constitutional decree by a man appointed by putchists" which "brings the country back to square one".
"No-one voted for this president. He is illegitimate in being sworn in, so all decisions he makes, people will not recognize," said the pro-Morsi protesters, adding that the military fired at a sit-in for the ousted leader.
"I will defend my vote which I gave to him until I become a martyr like the people who were killed yesterday," said a protester, according to the news agency.
Egypt's military ousted Morsi following massive protests demanding that the president step down, fearing that he was orchestrating an Islamist takeover of the country.
While violence and protests are spiraling in the streets of the Arab country, many of the U.S. lawmakers are questioning Washington's annual $1.5 billion aid package for Egypt and debating if Washington should recognize the Egyptian military's ouster of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood-led government as a "coup."
