On Sunday, the administration of the upcoming national dialogue between political forces announced a diverse 19-member board of trustees that include parliamentarians, journalists, professors and officials.

The board will be invited to its first meeting “within few days,” a statement by the administration said.

Speaking to MENA, partisan figures said this formation truly reflects the political diversity of democratic forces, stressing that holding serious dialogue is the only way to draft the future of the nation.

The Homeland Defenders Party said it supports all steps taken by the National Academy for Training to reach a positive dialogue that better serves interests of people.

It stressed that forming a diverse board of trustees will ensure a successful national dialogue that will contribute to reaching hoped-for reforms.

Acting head of Conference Party Magdi Morshed lauded the formation of the dialogue board of trustees, saying it mirrors political, cultural, economic and intellectual diversity that will guarantee a successful and fruitful dialogue.

Morshed expressed the party's readiness to dialogue with all figures that care about homeland and the issues of the country.

Also, the deputy head of Free Egyptians Party Islam El-Ghazouly said all the figures who were named today as members of the board of trustees represent all walks of society, underlining the importance of rallying efforts within the coming period to achieve hoped-for goals of the dialogue.

El-Ghazouly called for setting a timetable to put into effect the recommendations the dialogue will come out with.

The National Progressive Unionist Party said this formation is a real step on the road to hold a serious and constructive dialogue, adding that having figures with different viewpoints will certainly enrich the dialogue and help yield positive results that serve the Egyptian citizen.

Head of Abnaa Masr (The Sons of Egypt) Party Medhat Barkat said all the figures who were named as members of the board have honourable political life history and they are very seasoned to engage in a national dialogue that aims at closing ranks.

Board of Trustees members include Head of Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS) Mohamed Fayez Farahat; Deputy Head of the ACPSS Amr Hashem Rabie; and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Al-Arabi weekly magazine Gamal El-Keshki.

President of the National Council for Women (NCW) Maya Morsy and Coordinator of the Arab States Civil Society Organisations and Feminists Network Fatma Khafagy are among the board members.

Members also include Senate member and journalist Emad El-Din Hussein and House of Representatives’ members Ahmed El-Sharkawy, Amira Saber; and Talaat Abdel-Kawy, president of the General Federation of NGOs and Foundations (FNGO).

Cairo University’s international relations professor Reham Bahy, journalism professor Mahmoud Alam El-Din, commercial and maritime law professor Hani Sarie El-Din, and economy professor Gouda Abdel-Khalek, a former social solidarity minister, are members.

Board members also include political researcher and author Samir Morcos and journalists Abdel-Azim Hammad, Fatma El-Sayed Ahmed, and Mohamed Salmawy.

Human rights lawyer Negad El-Borai and Businessman Kamal Zayed are members.

In remarks to media, Rashwan said the dialogue’s board of trustees will be in charge of the coordination process of the multi-axial, multi-stage dialogue and will take final decisions on the dialogue’s preliminary results to be submitted to the president.

Last week, Rashwan said the dialogue will be conducted within a framework of freedom of opinion and discussions by well-informed experts.

Invitations have been sent to hundreds of Egyptians inside and outside the country, Rashwan said, noting that the dialogue has not been rejected by any of the political forces.

Those willing to join the dialogue can submit their requests at the National Youth Conference’s website.

The dialogue has been called by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi during the annual Egyptian Family Iftar banquet on 26 April for “all political forces without any exceptions or discrimination.”

Multiple political parties have welcomed the step and expressed willingness to join the dialogue.