Several political parties and notable figures have signed a petition demanding that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi immediately halt negotiations with the IMF and refrain from signing an agreement, on the grounds that such a deal would drastically increase public debt and would prove detrimental to the majority of citizens, Al Mal reported on Sunday. Among the parties and figures who signed the petition are the Socialist Popular Alliance, Karama, the Misr Al Hurriya Party, ex-presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, economist Ilhamy Al Merghani and politician George Isaac. They demand that the state should instead focus on implementing the economic program “Watany” by shifting away from being a consumer economy, as well as recover smuggled funds from abroad, while also providing energy subsidies to heavy industries, abolishing the Civil Service Act and halting the privatisation of government bodies, among other demands.