2007年VOA标准英语-Turkey's Gul Fails to Secure Presidency in Firs

By Dorian Jones
Istanbul
20 August 2007

Turkey's new parliament, divided along party lines, could not elect a president Monday, as frontrunner Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul failed to secure the two-thirds majority needed in a first round of voting. For VOA, Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

Turkey's FM Abdullah Gul, right, and PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, raise hands after results of first round of voting, 20 Aug 2007

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has failed to win enough support to be elected president in the first round of voting in Turkey's parliament.

Mr. Gul, a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AK party, received 341 votes in parliament Monday, short of the 387 needed for the two-thirds majority required for a first-round election.

Despite the defeat, he is expected to win in a further round next week. In the third round, a candidate only needs to secure a simple majority of votes, which the AK Party has, but that could herald¹ tense times ahead, analysts² say.

In April, the main opposition³ party boycotted⁴ the initial presidential vote, labeling Mr. Gul, a devote Muslim, a threat to the secular⁵ system.

Protesters took to the streets in protest of Mr. Gul's candidacy and the military warned it was ready to step in. But since then, the AK party has been returned to parliament with 46 percent of the vote.

Speaking just before Monday's vote, Mr. Gul said the fact that the ruling party was voted back into power was proof that most Turks do not believe he has an Islamic agenda. Despite the victory, political columnist⁶ Nuray Mert says Mr. Gul remains⁷ a divisive candidate.

"There must be a compromise and consensus⁸ on the issue of the presidency⁹ and Gul can be hardly be a name of compromise and consent," said Mert.

There already has been, much debate because Mr. Gul's wife wears the Islamic headscarf. Religious dress is banned from many state buildings and many secularists are opposed to the idea of the country's first lady wearing a religious headscarf.

Mr. Gul is now working hard to bridge the deep divisions within Turkish society over his bid. On announcing his candidacy last week he pledged he would defend secularism¹⁰.

"My priority is to follow the Turkish constitution and its principles of secularism and the rule of law," he said. "My guide will always be upholding the constitution."

In the last week Mr. Gul has been courting all the opposition parties, along with trade union and business leaders. Those efforts are expected to continue in the coming days as parliament continues to vote on the presidency.

1 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

5 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

6 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

9 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

10 secularism   

n.现世主义；世俗主义；宗教与教育分离论；政教分离论

参考例句：

• Unless are devoted to God, secularism shall not leave us. 除非我们奉献于神，否则凡俗之心便不会离开我们。 来自互联网
• They are no longer a huge threat to secularism. 他们已不再是民主的巨大威胁。 来自互联网