2006年VOA标准英语-Violence, Accusations Mar Congo Vote Counting

By Nico Colombant
Kinshasa
30 October 2006

Rival camps in Sunday's post-war presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo are accusing each other of cheating, while an attack on election workers marred¹ the start of vote counting in the volatile² east.

-----

U.N. officials say a soldier was arrested after killing³ two election officials in the town of Fataki, north of the city of Bunia. They said it appeared the soldier was drunk.

Subsequent rioting destroyed voting materials from Sunday's vote.

Meanwhile, each camp in the presidential election accused the other side of cheating. The camp of Vice⁴ President and former rebel Jean Pierre Bemba accused the side of transitional President and second round opponent Joseph Kabila of trying to buy votes and using pre-marked ballots⁵ throughout the country.

Mr. Kabila's camp accused Bemba supporters of setting up what it called a sophisticated network of cheating in its western and central strongholds without giving exact details.

Residents view election results in Kinshasa, October 30, 2006   
  
In Kinshasa, supporters reflected this mistrust, while they looked at published results at their voting centers. A Bemba supporter accused Mr. Kabila of being a serial⁶ cheater.

Another Bemba supporter says he does not understand why television stations close to the Vice President have gone off the air.

One of them lost its signal prior to the election during a report alleging⁷ Mr. Kabila was not Congolese. The other went dark late Sunday during a report on alleged⁸ cheating. He said the truth is being stamped out.

But, at the polling place, right next to the two Bemba supporters, was also a Kabila supporter, wearing his trademark⁹ yellow. He said both candidates are afraid they will lose and maybe that is why there is so much nervousness.

Both camps have loyal troops still remaining outside the peace disarmament process.

 
Security stepped up in Congo elections, October 30, 2006
  
Sunday, the two sides signed an agreement pledging to renounce¹⁰ violence and guaranteeing the security of the loser. But similar agreements did not prevent deadly violence in August, following a slow release of first round results.

Election officials say they are going much faster for this second round, due to more experience and also lower turnout, mainly in the rain-soaked west.

Officials from the rival camps say they expect to have a general idea of final results through their own party officials by late Monday, but that they will have to wait before declaring victory until results are certified¹¹ in mid¹² to late November.

Voting in the northwest province of Equateur marred by violence is scheduled to take place again Tuesday, while election officials are also investigating the latest violence in the Bunia region, and whether a re-vote will be needed there as well. In other eastern areas, militias¹³ and soldiers set up barricades¹⁴, asking money for passage, and discouraging many would-be voters.

Ballots were also cast in provincial¹⁵ elections, in a final cycle of voting, paid for by the international community, aimed at ending years of misrule and conflict in the vast mineral-rich Congo.

1 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

2 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

7 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

10 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

11 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

12 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

13 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

14 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

15 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。