Key events in Egypt since the 2011 uprising, as military chief announces run for president

CAIRO – Here are some key events from more than three years of turmoil and transition in Egypt:

— Feb. 11, 2011: Autocrat Hosni Mubarak steps down after 18-days of nationwide protests against his nearly 30 years of rule. The military takes over, dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution after the uprising, which left hundreds of protesters dead.

— Nov. 28, 2011_Feb 15, 2012: The Muslim Brotherhood wins nearly half the seats in multi-stage elections for the first post-Mubarak parliament, while ultraconservative Salafis take another quarter. The remainder goes to liberal, independent and secular politicians.

— June 14: The Supreme Constitutional Court orders the lower house of parliament dissolved on grounds the election rules were unconstitutional.

— June 17: Mohammed Morsi defeats Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister under Mubarak, with 51.7 percent of the vote in a runoff presidential election, taking office on June 30.

— Aug. 12: Morsi removes the defense minister and military chief, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, and replaces him with Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

— Nov. 22: Morsi unilaterally decrees greater powers for himself, giving his decisions immunity from judicial review and barring the courts from dissolving an assembly charged with drafting a new constitution. The move sparks days of protests. Islamists hurriedly finalize a draft constitution and Morsi sets a Dec. 15 date for a referendum.

— Dec. 15, Dec. 22: Egyptians approve the constitution by referendum, with 63.8 percent voting in favor but turnout low.

— Jan. 26: Death sentences handed down on 21 people accused in taking part in deadly soccer violence the year before set off days of clashes between protesters and police in the Mediterranean city of Port Said, with dozens killed.

— Mar. 12: Egypt rejects an offer of a $750 million rescue loan from the IMF. In the coming months, fuel and electricity shortages stoke discontent, while a campaign called Tamarod, or "Rebel," gathers signatures calling for Morsi's removal and early presidential elections.

— June 30: On Morsi's anniversary in office, millions of Egyptians begin days of massive demonstrations demanding he step down, claiming he has abused his power. The military gives him 48 hours to reach an agreement with his opponents, but he vows to stay in power.

— July 3: El-Sissi announces Morsi's removal, installing Constitutional Court Chief Justice Adly Mansour as interim president. Tens of thousands of Morsi supporters camp out in two sit-ins in Cairo's streets demanding his return.

— July 8: Egyptian soldiers fire on Morsi supporters protesting outside a military facility in Cairo, killing over 50. Each side blames the other for starting the violence. Mansour sets a timeline for amending the constitution and electing a new president and parliament by mid-February. The Brotherhood refuses to participate in the process.

— Aug. 14: More than 600 people, mostly Morsi supporters, are killed when riot police clear the two pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo. Islamists retaliate by torching government buildings, churches and police stations.

— Aug. 19: Suspected Islamic militants kill 25 policemen in the Sinai Peninsula. Militant attacks escalate in Sinai over the following months, with shootings, bombings and suicide attacks against security officials and troops.

— Sept. 23: An Egyptian court orders the Brotherhood banned and its assets confiscated.

— Oct. 6: At least 51 are people killed when security forces and Islamist protesters clash during a national holiday.

— Oct. 9: The U.S. suspends delivery of tanks, helicopters and fighter jets to Egypt's military in a show of disapproval over the anti-Brotherhood crackdown.

— Nov. 4: Morsi is flown by helicopter from his secret detention place to a police academy in eastern Cairo to begin his trial for allegedly inciting violence, the first of several. Some charges against him carry the death penalty.

— Dec. 24: A car bomb rips through a security headquarters in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, killing 16 people, almost all policemen, in the deadliest attack since Morsi's ouster. The militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for the attack.

— Dec. 25: The government designates the Brotherhood a terrorist organization, the latest measure in the crackdown against the group.

— Jan 14: Egyptians vote in a referendum on amendments to the constitution adopted under Morsi in 2012. The referendum, considered a key step in the military's post-Morsi political roadmap, approves the charter, with 98.1 percent casting a "yes" ballot. Turnout is less than 39 percent.

— Jan. 25: Clashes between security forces and protesters on the third anniversary of the country's 2011 uprising leave at least 49 dead. Estimates of the total death toll from political violence since Morsi's July 3 overthrow now run into the thousands.

— Mar. 24: An Egyptian court sentences to death nearly 530 suspected Morsi supporters over a deadly attack on a police station, capping a swift, two-day mass trial in which defense attorneys were not allowed to present their case. A second mass trial by same judge begins the next day.

— Mar. 26: Ending months of anticipation, El-Sissi announces that he has resigned from the military and will run for president in elections scheduled for next month.