Egyptian “national dialogue†will kick off amid difficult domestic situation
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Loading... - Magda Balsam
- 07 Nov 2022
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The “national dialogue” that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi called for more than five months ago has nearly concluded its lengthy preparatory stage, but no date has been set yet for the official launch, according to organizers.
Participants agreed to divide the dialogue into three key themes: political, economic, and social. A few dedicated subcommittees will discuss specific issues related to each of those broader topics. In the political aspect, for example, speakers will debate the status of political parties, election laws, municipal elections, human rights, and trade unions. The economic aspect will cover rising debt levels, the budget deficit, inflation and rising prices, promotion of local industries, agriculture, social justice, tourism, and private investments. The social aspect will encompass education and scientific research, health, population issues, family law, culture, national identity, and youth.
Those talks will then result in “recommendations” that the subcommittee participants will send to the president in the form of proposed draft laws or policy papers; he will decide which ones to carry out. While the fact that it will be up to the president alone to decide how to deal with the outcome cast doubt on the significance of the dialogue, government organizers said that the president would certainly not have personally undertaken this very involved and protracted initiative without intending to take its recommendations seriously.
Low expectations
So far, expectations within the opposition and among outside observers have remained low that the long-awaited dialogue will lead to significant changes in terms of political reforms, particularly as the launch date has repeatedly been delayed for no obvious reason. And there is pessimism about agreeing to a common strategy to deal with the country’s accumulated economic and social woes, considering the regime’s record over the past five months, if not the past eight years. Read More...
