2007年VOA标准英语-Facing Re-election Soon, Pakistan’s President L

By Simon Marks
Islamabad, Pakistan
21 September 2007
 

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, facing growing calls to chart a return to Democracy, indicated Wednesday he will quit as army chief if he is re-elected. Eight years after seizing power in a military coup¹, Mr. Musharaff is due to face re-election before his term ends in mid-November. His opponents want him to shed his uniform now.  But as the president's popularity plummets², the key to the country's future might again lie with the military. From Islamabad, Simon Marks reports for VOA.

For more than half of its 60 years, Pakistan has been under military rule.  General Pervez Musharraf seized power in 1999 -- the latest in a series of military officers who replaced civilian³ leaders.

But after failing to deliver on a promise to reinstate democratic rule, Mr. Musharaff has grown increasingly unpopular.  His approval rating hovers⁴ around 35 percent.

Opposition⁵ lawmaker Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan says the military has always seen itself as guardian⁶ of Pakistan's national interests. "And this is one area where the military now feels that they are fast losing grip, they are losing credibility, they are losing respect.  And there is only one person who is responsible for that, and that is Pervez Musharraf."

For the first time in the country's history, Ali Khan says, citizens link the army to an unpopular president and are openly hostile to officers. "It is not a secret any more.  Military generals have been stopped on the streets and insulted and humiliated⁷."

Opposition groups have petitioned Pakistan's Supreme⁸ Court, disputing the legality of Mr. Musharraf's plan to run for another five-year term while still army chief. 

A government lawyer told the court Mr. Musharaff will abandon his uniform and govern as a civilian before taking office for a second term. The Pakistani leader historically relied on support from within military ranks for his Presidency⁹.

But retired¹⁰ army officers, like Lieutenant¹¹ General Talat Masood, who writes on Pakistani politics, worry about the public's lack of respect and Musharaff's unpopularity. "Well, it is possible if things get out of hand, then it is very likely that a time might come when the senior, you know, military leadership may say that, 'President Musharraf, we have backed you, we have supported you.  But now, I think, it is time that you go voluntarily.  Otherwise, we will have to really save the institution and the country'."

Masood says most Pakistani officers he knows favor free elections and many do not want Mr. Musharraf to run.  But as the Pakistani leader continues to chart his own political future, military and civilian opponents may end up disappointed.

1 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

2 plummets   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• As a result, blood sugar plummets, sometimes even going below the baseline. 结果，血糖浓度迅速掉落，有时甚至落于基线之下。 来自互联网
• State and local governments could continue to back as tax revenue plummets. 由于税收的直线下降，州和地方政府可能继续削减支出。 来自互联网

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 hovers   

鸟( hover的第三人称单数 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovers in the sky. 一只老鹰在天空盘旋。
• A hen hovers her chicks. 一只母鸡在孵小鸡。

5 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。

6 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

7 humiliated   

感到羞愧的

参考例句：

• Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
• He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

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 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

11 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。