The chief justice of Egypt�s Supreme Constitutional Court was sworn in Thursday as the nation�s interim president, taking over hours after the military ousted the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

Adly Mansour took the oath of office at the Nile-side Constitutional Court in a ceremony broadcast live on state television. According to military decree, Mansour will serve as Egypt�s interim leader until a new president is elected. A date for that vote has yet to be set.

In his first remarks, Mansour praised the massive street demonstrations that led to Morsi�s ouster. He also hailed the youth behind the protests that began on June 30, saying they embodied �the nation�s conscience, its ambitions and hopes.�

�The most glorious thing about June 30 is that it brought together everyone without discrimination or division,� he said. �I offer my greetings to the revolutionary people of Egypt.�

Mansour replaces Morsi, who was Egypt�s first democratically elected president but was overthrown by the military on Wednesday after just one year in office. Morsi is under house arrest at an undisclosed location.

The military, in a statement read by army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Wednesday evening, also suspended the Islamist-drafted constitution and called for new elections. Morsi has denounced the action as a �full coup� by the generals.

Millions of anti-Morsi protesters around the country erupted in celebrations after the televised announcement by the army chief on Wednesday evening. Fireworks burst over crowds in Cairo�s Tahrir Square, where men and women danced, shouting, �God is great� and �Long live Egypt.�

(AP)