CAIRO, Jan 27 (Aswat Masriya)  Egypt's interim President Adli Mansour has issued a decree  to promote Defence Minister Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to the rank of field marshal, which is the country's top military rank, state television said on Monday.

Sisi's popularity has risen sharply among many Egyptians. Many of his supporters demand that he runs for the upcoming presidential elections. On his side, he did not announce his intentions until now.

The defence minister announced the army's ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi after mass protests against his rule in July [2013].

Sisi, 59 years, is a deputy prime minister in Hazem al-Beblawi's interim cabinet in addition to being Egypt's Defence Minister.

He was appointed Defence Minister in August 2012 after Mursi made wide-ranging changes in the armed forces' leaderships. He was then promoted to be a General, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Military Production.