“The new constitution has put an end to the myth of the ‘pharaoh president’,” he told Al Ahram, the country’s main state-owned newspaper.
“The future president will still be the head of the executive authority and the symbol of the Egyptian state, as long as he believes in the concept of the homeland and remains close to the pulse of the Egyptian people.”
Mr Mansour also said that he believed Egypt’s next president, due to be elected within months, should be strong and charismatic. But he insisted that the country’s fate should be tied to institutional rules, and not a particular person.
“The constitution guarantees the president the authority needed to run the country, but at the same time, it gives authority to an elected parliament which is allowed to oust the president in specific cases detailed in the constitution,” he said.
“I think the Egyptian people have learned the lesson well after a year under a regime that didn’t understand the concept of the homeland. They have become afraid of repeating this experience, and it is necessary to protect the country from future dangers.”
Egypt’s next leader is widely expected to be Field Marshal Abdel Fattah el Sisi, who led the overthrow of Mr Morsi.
If the strongman defence minister chooses to run, he will likely win by a landslide, thanks to widespread support among political elites and the Egyptian public. Many credit the Mr Sisi with “rescuing” the progress of Egypt’s 2011 uprising from the Muslim Brotherhood, and he has become the focus of a near-cult of personality among many Egyptians.
Mr Mansour’s comments came as the trial resumed of Mr Morsi, who was ousted seven months ago.
Mr Morsi and 14 co-defendants – among them senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders – are faced with charges relating to violent clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012, when Muslim Brotherhood supporters attacked opposition activists. At least seven people were killed in the incident, which was widely seen as a turning point in Mr Morsi’s presidency.
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