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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Kathmandu
09 April 2008
Seventeen-and-a-half million people are eligible1 to go to the polls in Nepal, Thursday. They will elect members of a constituent2 assembly that will draft a constitution to complete the transfer from a feudal3 Himalayan state into a modern democracy. From Kathmandu, VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports the twice-delayed election is seen as a referendum on the country's monarchy5, as well as on Nepal's Maoists who fought a decade-long civil war to topple the royals.
More than 50 parties are vying6 for the favor of Nepal's voters. But it is the two extremes of the Himalayan country's political spectrum7 on which much of the campaign has focused.
One of the candidates is Maoist Hisila Yami - serving in the Nepalese government as the cabinet minister in charge of public works.
"It's a referendum for Maoists, as well referendum for the monarchy," Yami said. "Because it's the Maoists who had given an ultimate challenge to monarchy. And, it is also a test for Maoists."
On the far right, former Information and Communications Minister Tanka Dhakal rejects the notion that the monarchy, which he supports, is facing a referendum in this election. Dhakal, a proportional representation candidate of the pro-monarchist RPP-Nepal party, says the balloting8 instead will gauge9 whether the public trusts the Maoists to participate in a democratic election .
"We want to establish democracy in Nepal or we want to establish the communist dictatorship in Nepal? This is the major question. I request them to transfer their [communist] ideology10 to the democratic line," he said.
The Maoists fought the state for a decade, in a violent confrontation11 that left 13,000 people dead. Their main goal was to end any vestiges12 of feudalism. And, that meant ridding the impoverished13 nation of the Shah Dynasty, which has ruled Nepal for two-and-a-half centuries.
The current monarch4, already stripped of authority and privilege, is the unpopular King Gyanendra. In January, the interim14 parliament formally declared Nepal a secular15 republic. The royal moniker has since disappeared - no longer a prefix16 for the name of the army, the national airline and other state entities17.
Gyanendra came to power seven years ago, when his nephew, who was crown prince, allegedly massacred much of the royal family, including Gyanendra's brother, King Birendra.
Gyanendra failed to crush the Maoist rebellion and his autocratic ways provoked widespread unrest. He was eventually forced to return authority to the government.
That led the Maoists to agree to a peace accord in late 2006, in which their fighters and weapons were put in camps under United Nations supervision19. Since then, they have emerged as one of the top three political parties. The others are the Congress Party, which once supported the monarchy, and another Communist party (Unified Marxist-Leninist), seen as more moderate than the Maoists.
Public Works Minister Yami says, however the Maoists fare in the vote tabulation20, they have already declared victory.
"Politically, we have won already," Yami said. "And, even in terms of sentiment, we have won already because these sentiments were evoked21 during the war. And, now it is the peoples' sentiment. Now, only technically22 we have to win through the vote."
Maoist leaders say they will accept the outcome of the nationwide balloting, if the election is deemed to have been conducted fairly.
Many critics, including international human rights organizations, accuse the Maoists of not playing fairly. They allege18 the Young Communist League and other groups under the Maoist banner have been instigators of much of the campaign violence. But the Maoists say they have suffered more than any other party, with 60 of their cadres and supporters being killed, some gunned down by police.
In the Thamel tourist district, hammer-and-sickle flags of the Maoist party flutter above many shops. Here, there is little sympathy for the monarchy.
Clothing store proprietor23 Sagar Adhikari says he believes, if the king does not give up his crown, there will be a resurgence24 of violent clashes in the streets of Kathmandu.
"Monarchy, I don't like," he said. "If he leaves it's better - better for Nepal, better for Nepali [people] and better for him also."
One of Adhikari's competitors down the road, Satidevi Khanal, agrees with him that restoring law and order is the utmost priority.
She says Nepal must be declared a republic and that the king's fate does not really matter. But she adds that her personal opinion is that he should abdicate25.
In every interview, people do agree on one thing - that their biggest hope for the election is whatever the outcome, peace will come to Nepal.
![收听单词发音](/images/play.gif)
1
eligible
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adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的 | |
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2
constituent
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n.选民;成分,组分;adj.组成的,构成的 | |
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3
feudal
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adj.封建的,封地的,领地的 | |
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monarch
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n.帝王,君主,最高统治者 | |
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monarchy
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n.君主,最高统治者;君主政体,君主国 | |
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6
vying
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adj.竞争的;比赛的 | |
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7
spectrum
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n.谱,光谱,频谱;范围,幅度,系列 | |
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8
balloting
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v.(使)投票表决( ballot的现在分词 ) | |
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9
gauge
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v.精确计量;估计;n.标准度量;计量器 | |
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10
ideology
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n.意识形态,(政治或社会的)思想意识 | |
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11
confrontation
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n.对抗,对峙,冲突 | |
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12
vestiges
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残余部分( vestige的名词复数 ); 遗迹; 痕迹; 毫不 | |
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impoverished
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adj.穷困的,无力的,用尽了的v.使(某人)贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 );使(某物)贫瘠或恶化 | |
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14
interim
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adj.暂时的,临时的;n.间歇,过渡期间 | |
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15
secular
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n.牧师,凡人;adj.世俗的,现世的,不朽的 | |
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16
prefix
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n.前缀;vt.加…作为前缀;置于前面 | |
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17
entities
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实体对像; 实体,独立存在体,实际存在物( entity的名词复数 ) | |
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18
allege
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vt.宣称,申述,主张,断言 | |
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19
supervision
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n.监督,管理 | |
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20
tabulation
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作表,表格; 表列结果; 列表; 造表 | |
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21
evoked
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[医]诱发的 | |
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22
technically
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adv.专门地,技术上地 | |
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23
proprietor
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n.所有人;业主;经营者 | |
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24
resurgence
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n.再起,复活,再现 | |
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25
abdicate
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v.让位,辞职,放弃 | |
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