Egypt launched a national political dialogue on Wednesday, which the authorities say aims to spark discussion about the country's future; however, the dialogue coordinator mentioned that several topics will be excluded from discussion. The dialogue, announced by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in April 2022, aims to produce recommendations for political, economic, and social reforms that can be presented to him for consideration. This dialogue is one of several steps taken to address criticism of Egypt's human rights record, with other measures including a national human rights strategy and a presidential pardon committee working on handling thousands of requests for the release of some individuals imprisoned during el-Sisi's regime.
El-Sisi described the dialogue as "a respectable national experience" and, in a recorded message aired during the opening session, urged participants to "make efforts to ensure its success," adding that he has been closely monitoring the preparations for the dialogue and that "differences of opinion do not harm the nation." Dialogue coordinator Diaa Rashwan noted that "all sessions will be open to the media, but discussions on the constitution, foreign policy, and strategic national security will be excluded." Critics argue that "the recent steps taken in the field of human rights are superficial," pointing to the continued arrests and imprisonment of opponents and expressing skepticism that the dialogue represents any real change.
