Mansour: I won’t run for president

Interim President Adly Mansour has no intention of running in the next presidential elections and will return to the ranks of the judiciary, the state-owned Al-Ahram portal reported on Tuesday.

Citing the interim president’s interview with Kuwaiti journalists at the Ettihadeya Presidential Palace, Al-Ahram quoted Mansour as saying that he took up his position at the helm of the executive branch as part of his legal and constitutional duty. However, he will return to the Supreme Constitutional Court, from which he hails, once a president is elected.

In the interview, Mansour spoke of his recent visit to Kuwait, during which he extended Egypt’s appreciation to all the Gulf countries that recently showed support for the country.

Mansour was appointed interim president by the military on July 3, following the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi in the aftermath of mass protests demanding his resignation.

In most media coverage, Mansour appears to have been sidelined by General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the commander in chief of Egypt's Armed Forces, around whom speculation is growing that he will run for the presidency. Several popular campaigns have begun to call for the general to run for the post.