Former Egyptian general: Military has no plans to run the country

Egypt's military deposed the country's first democratically elected president Wednesday night, installing the head of the country's highest court as an interim leader, the country's top general announced.

The military maintains that the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsy is not a military coup.

"This is not a military coup at all. This is the will of the Egyptians supported by the army," former General Sameh Seif Elyazal told CNN.

Elyazal said the military was responding to the historic protests, where millions marched in the street for four days asking Morsy for an early presidential election.

"Egyptians are making new history. That's why it's not a military coup whatsoever, military coup meaning that the military would rule the country, and will run the country, and control the country. And the military is not doing that," said Elyazal.

The military also announced there will be parliamentary and presidential elections, a process Elyazal said should take about a year.

"I think the entire transition period would be between 9 to 12 months. We have to have a new constitution, a new lawful parliamentary election, and then the procedures of the parliamentary election, followed by the presidential election," said Elyazal.

The general said the most immediate change for Egyptians will be that they will no longer be suffering from the Morsy led government's repeated mistakes "which put the country in real trouble and everything. We don't have any stability, economic stability."

Elyazal said there have been a lack of services; people have been lining up for gas, waiting at stations for as long as 18 hours, and power outages were frequent, occurring sometimes three times a day.

"We have to recover ... now, and this will take a few years, as well as the price will be heavy," said Elyazal.

Questions remain how the military will justify its actions.

"Twelve and a half million people elected Morsy and gave him the votes to be our president. Right now democratically 33 million people came out in the streets, some of them definitely give him their votes. And right now they said, 'No, sorry, we cannot take any more, three years of that. You have made big mistakes, and not only but you put the country in jeopardy,'" said Elyazal.

"Again, this is democratically," said Elyazal "People wanted that, and that's why they are forcing him to step down."