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Political Reality TV in Ramallah
(Foreign Policy) Fernande Van Tets - The political changes sweeping the Middle East are giving birth to a new genre: political reality TV. Palestinians haven't had presidential elections since 2005, due to the conflict between Hamas and Fatah. But now broadcasters are offering wannabe politicians a viable path to a political career - on air, at least, with a program called "al-Rais" ("The President"). The contestants, all under 35, are grilled by a panel of judges and challenged to complete tasks meant to shed light on their ability to handle high office. Last week, for example, the contestants had to officially greet a visiting president during a mock state visit, and were judged on their knowledge of protocol and etiquette. Suddenly, there was a staged assassination attempt. While gunshots rang out, the key to completing the challenge was to display steady nerves. Raed Othman, director of the independent Ma'an network which broadcasts the program in the West Bank, explains, "We haven't had elections for 8 years." Now, viewers can vote every week in front of their TV sets until a winner is chosen at the end of June. The victor will win a car, and be named as a youth ambassador for Palestine. Othman says interest in "al-Rais" is off the charts. "Thousands have applied already," he boasts.