Egypt announces poll plan as 51 protestors killed

Egypt's interim leader has outlined his timetable for new elections, even as massive unrest continues unrest in the country.

Chief justice Adly Mansour, who was asked by the army to take charge as acting president, has issued a decree that envisages changes to the Islamist-drafted constitution and a referendum, which would pave way the way for elections early next year.

This came late on Monday, a day when at least 51 people were killed and almost 450 injured in firing by security personnel in Cairo while protesting in favour of ousted president Mohammed Morsi.

Many witnesses claimed that the protestors were largely unarmed and peaceful; but the authorities say they were armed and opened fire first, killing three policemen.

In by far the worst single incident since Morsi's ouster, his party the Muslim Brotherhood says its members were fired upon during a sit-in favour of Morsi outside a place where the deposed president is supposedly being kept. The army says it responded to an armed provocation.

Morsi, an Islamist and Egypt's first freely elected leader, was removed from office by the army last week after mass protests.

His supporters accuse the military of staging a coup, but his opponents say the move is the continuation of the revolution that deposed President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Mansour's roadmap says that a panel would be formed within 15 days to amend the constitution, which was suspended last week. The changes would then be put to a referendum, to be organised within four months.

This would lead to parliamentary elections, which could be held early in 2014. Finally, presidential elections would be called once the new parliament convenes.

The Muslim Brotherhood has so far made no public comment on the proposed timetable.

Mansour's move comes amid continuing mass protests by both supporters and opponents of Morsi.

"The situation will have to improve radically if Mr Mansour's timetable for elections is not to prove hopelessly unrealistic," the BBC's Jim Muir reported from Cairo.

The focus now is expected to remain on trying to prevent another explosion of violence and to agree on an interim prime minister to form a transitional government to stabilise the country and prepare for elections.

Meanwhile, the United States has condemned the violence in Egypt, calling for "maximum restraint".

A White House statement said Washington was "not aligned" with any political movement, adding that cutting military aid to Egypt was not in US interests.