At last Palestinians get to vote

We are building a new generation of politicians. They are gaining skills from practice...

The contestants are publicly identified, appear undisguised and their voices are not distorted to avoid recognition.

Hussein al-Deik, 31, - as reported by Y News - said he would oppose the type of violence espoused by Palestinians last decade when they carried out hundreds of suicide bombings and other attacks against Israeli civilians. He said he would promote peaceful demonstrations against Israel's occupation of the West Bank and even oppose stone throwing at Israeli soldiers and settlers – a common Palestinian practice.

Other candidates echoed his support for non-violence- a contrast to wider Palestinian society where support for "armed struggle" remains a common sentiment.

The show's producer -Seema Rasool - said thatif there are no elections in practice, at least there should be on TV.

We wanted to create a new spin on reality TV – reality TV with a purpose. For decades, Palestine has only had two presidents, Abu Amar (Yasser Arafat) and Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas), thus we hope this show drives the Palestinian people to truly have a democratic state. This show in itself models democracy in practice.

The show is reportedly funded by an American organization called Search for Common Ground.

Raed Othman, Maan's director,reportedly told Y Newsthatthe show is popular because it has tapped into the larger sense of civic involvement in politics following the upheavals taking place across the Arab world. He said entertainment shows often backfire, since viewers dealing with hardships do not want to be merely entertained.

We found this show fits our conditions. We need elections, and there are no elections. We need an Arab Spring, and the show is our spring.

Waad Fararieh - one of the three women remaining on the show added:

We don't see President Abbas in town. He spends most of his time flying when we really need his presence here. If I become a president, I will focus on the economy. Our economy is bad, and there are no real efforts to revive it.

Three of the finalists are reportedly from Gaza, participating by videoconference,since travel between Gaza and the West Bank is virtually impossible.