Rifʿat al-Saʿīd was born in al-Mansūrah, al-Daqahlīyah governorate on 11 October, 1932. al-Saʿīd is considered as one of the most prominent leftist figures in Egypt. In 2005, al-Saʿīd criticized the amendment proposed by President Ḥusnī Mubārak to article 67 of the Egyptian constitution. The amendment allowes multi-candidate presidential elections for the first time in the Egyptian history. The formula of the amendment was widely criticized as it makes it very difficult in practice for candidates belonging to parties other than the ruling Party to run for the elections. Additionally, al-Saʿīd asserts that his stance towards the Muslim Brotherhood, which is usually described as harsh by the Egyptian media, reflects the stance of the Tajammuʿ Party in the first place, as it is one of the well established principles of the Party to reject any political Party based on religion and/or any Party that has secret or military divisions or that has an external wing.