Egypt's chief justice Adly Mansour delivers a speech during his swearing in ceremony as the country's interim president in the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo on Thursday.(Photo Khaled Desouki AFP/Getty Images)
CAIRO The question in Egypt is this Who is Adly Mansour
The answer is a little known constitutional judge appointed years ago by ousted former president Hosni Mubarak who has now been drafted to serve as Egypt's interim president.
Some analysts say Mansour will be a puppet for the military machine that put him in power others are not so sure.
Mansour was sworn in Thursday after deposed president Mohamed Morsi Egypt's first democratically elected leader was arrested by the military. Morsi had rejected army demands that he cede much of his power to resolve a political crisis that drove millions of Egyptians to take to the streets expressing disapproval of his first year in office.
Mansour assumed the job under a transitional plan that appointed the head of the country's High Constitutional Court as interim president.
Appointed to that court by deposed President Hosni Mubarak Mansour became head of the court June 30 after the former chief judge retired. The judge will serve in the post of president until elections are held a date undetermined so far.
While Egypt remains in political limbo the spotlight shines on a man about whom little is known.
Yesterday was the first time I heard his name said Marwa Farid 30 a democratic activist. I'm hopeful he'll be inclusive of all members of society after what've been through over the past year.
Last SlideNext SlideMansour 67 was born in Cairo and graduated from Cairo University with a law degree in 1967. He had been deputy chief justice since 1992.
Mohammed Hamed El Gamal former head of the State Council described Mansour as a fair man committed only to the constitution and the law he told al Shabab part of the Egyptian news organization Al Ahram.
Mansour helped draft the presidential election laws that saw Morsi elected in 2012 according to the Al Ahram. On Thursday Mansour praised the recent street demonstrations that led to the ouster of Morsi.
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.
While some analysts say the military will control the new president others said the military is not eager to be involved in the day to day politics of Egypt.
Egyptians cheer and wave their national flag as they gather in Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square on July 4.(Photo Gianluigi Guercia AFP/Getty Images)
The military is just going to be pulling the strings said Shashank Joshi research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. That means the international community has to push very hard to make sure the constitution drafting process is inclusive and fair and credible and doesn't try to exclude Islamists from the process.
Other analysts weren't so sure.
Military leaders know what a thankless task it is said Firas Abi Ali a Middle East and North Africa analyst at IHS in London. I think the military is doing its best not to present itself as governing directly but to put forward a civilian face. The objective is not to present this as a military takeover of power.
However he said the military has always been influential in Egypt.
If you look at the structure of public services you find retired military men in all sorts of positions so they have a lot of influence over bureaucracy he said.
Still activist Gigi Ibrahim who has fought to achieve the revolution's goals since the uprising against Hosni Mubarak in 2011 said it is too soon to judge the interim president.
If he will fulfill the people's and revolution's demands and what we agreed on this road map that was set that's great but I know this won't happen easily said Ibrahim who belongs to the Revolutionary Socialists group in Egypt.
There needs to be a lot of pressure with people continuously protesting to ensure these demands are fulfilled and they're not going to happen on their own she added. Whether Mansour will fulfill the demands of the people or not is what will determine whether he is a good president or a bad one.
Contributing Daria Solovieva in Cairo Catherine Featherston and Louise Osborne from Berlin
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