VOA常速英语2008年-Iranians Vote for New Parliament

By Challiss McDonough
Cairo
14 March 2008

Voters in Iran are going to the polls for an election that is expected to solidify¹ the conservative majority in parliament, but also possibly strengthen critics of Iran's controversial president. VOA correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.

Politicians and clerical leaders from every political camp cast their own ballots² as they urged Iranians to vote in an election that is likely to strengthen the conservatives' hold on parliament.

The election is largely a contest between two rival conservative factions⁴, one more closely allied⁵ to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the other favoring a more pragmatic approach to issues such as Iran's dealings with the West over its nuclear program.

A two-stage vetting⁷ process disqualified hundreds of would-be candidates, including most of the well-known reformists. Some reformists decided⁸ to boycott⁹ the election, but key leaders of the reformist bloc¹⁰ urged their supporters to vote, hoping that a high turnout might counter the conservatives' dominance and give them at least a strong minority in parliament.

Reformist former President Mohammad Khatami called on his supporters to cast their ballots.

He said he hoped to see a "massive turnout" and hoped the elections would be "for the benefit of the country and the people."

Tight restrictions¹¹ on the campaigns kept nominees¹² from discussing some of the issues most important to voters, including the economy. Interest rates around 18 percent and high unemployment despite a boom in oil revenues have fueled discontent with the economic policies of President Ahmadinejad, even among his own supporters.

Another former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, is now a senior clerical leader seen as a reform-minded rival to Mr. Ahmadinejad. He urged people to vote and said Iran remains¹³ a "frontrunner in democracy" amongst its neighbors.

He urged outsiders "to judge Iran's election justly," and to compare it with elections in other countries of the region.

With most of their candidates sidelined, the reformists will struggle to hold onto even the seats they already have in the assembly. They say they have only been able to field contenders for about one-third of the 290 seats.

The poll is instead seen as a contest between rival camps that have emerged in the conservative movement that brought President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power three years ago.

Amal Hamada is an Iran specialist in the political science department at Cairo University.

"What will happen now is we're having a new group within the conservative camp who are less conservative, or more pragmatic if we can say that, who are willing to still work under the banner of the conservatives, still adopt the same big issues, but they may be able to differ a little bit in terms of techniques and political discourse," said Hamada.

One conservative faction³, known as the United Front, includes allies of the president, while the other, called the Broad or Inclusive Coalition¹⁴, includes some of his most prominent conservative rivals, including former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani. That list also has the backing of the popular mayor of Tehran, Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, who is thought to be a possible rival to Mr. Ahmadinejad in next year's presidential election.

The two camps differ on economic policies, as well as Iran's approach to dealing⁶ with the West regarding its nuclear program. Although the president's conservative rivals generally seem to share his goals for the program, they have disagreed with his aggressive tactics.

The voting process in some areas can be extremely complex and time-consuming. Voters in Tehran, for example, have to write out the names and numbers of 30 individual candidates. Final results are not expected for several days, but there could be partial results from some districts earlier.

1 solidify   

v.(使)凝固，(使)固化，(使)团结

参考例句：

• Opinion on this question began to solidify.对这个问题的意见开始具体化了。
• Water will solidify into ice if you freeze it.水冷冻会结冰。

2 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》

3 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

4 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

5 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

10 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

13 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。

14 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。