VOA慢速英语2018 默克尔:2021年将卸任德国总理（在线收听）

German Chancellor Merkel to Step Down in 2021

Germany’s Angela Merkel says she will not seek a fifth term as chancellor in 2021.

德国总理默克尔表示，2021年将不再寻求连任。

In an announcement on Monday, Merkel also said she would step down as leader of her conservative Christian Democratic Union, or CDU party in December.

默克尔在周一的一份声明中还表示，她将于12月辞去保守派基督教民主联盟(CDU)的领导人职务。

Merkel, who is 64, has served as chancellor since 2005. She has led the CDU since 2000. Her decision to step down as party leader came after the CDU suffered setbacks in local elections in recent weeks.

现年64岁的默克尔自2005年以来一直担任德国总理。她从2000年开始领导基民盟。近几周，基民盟在地方选举中遭遇挫折后，默克尔决定辞去该党党首职务。

Merkel currently leads Germany as part of a “grand coalition” of the country’s biggest political parties. These include the CDU and its partner in the southern state of Bavaria, the Christian Social Union, or CSU. The center-left Social Democratic Party, or SPD, is also part of the coalition. Her current coalition began its leadership in March after six months of difficult political negotiations.

默克尔目前作为德国最大政党“大联盟”的一员领导着德国。其中包括基督教民主联盟及其位于南部巴伐利亚州的合作伙伴——基督教社会联盟（CSU）。中间偏左政党——社会民主党（SPD）也是“大联盟”的一部分。在经历了6个月的艰难政治谈判后，她目前的联合政府于今年3月上台执政。

Her party’s latest election setback happened Sunday in the central state of Hesse. Merkel’s CDU party narrowly finished in first place, while suffering an 11-point drop from the last election in 2013. The SPD also suffered losses.

她所属的政党在选举中遭遇的最新挫折发生在周日的黑森州中部地区。默克尔领导的基民盟以微弱优势排名第一，与2013年的上次选举相比，该党的得票率下降了11个百分点。社民党也损失惨重。

Sunday’s voting followed a state election in Bavaria two weeks ago, in which the SPD and CSU also suffered major setbacks.

周日的投票是在巴伐利亚州选举结束两周后进行的，在那次选举中，社民党和基社盟也遭遇了重大挫折。

The losses came as support has increased for Germany’s Green Party as well as the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany, or AfD.

与此同时，德国绿党（Green Party）以及反对移民的德国新选择党（AfD）的支持率有所上升。

Merkel told reporters in Berlin that, after leading the CDU for 18 years, she felt “today it is time to start a new chapter.”

默克尔在柏林告诉记者，在领导基民盟18年之后，她感到“现在是时候开启新篇章了”。

Merkel added that she would “not aim for any other political office.”

默克尔补充说，她“也不会寻求任何其他政治职务”。

Observers had widely expected that Merkel would not seek another term in office after 2021. But her announcement marked the first public confirmation of it.

观察家们普遍预计，默克尔将不会在2021年寻求连任。但她的声明标志着首次官方证实该消息。

Merkel has said in the past that she believed the chancellor should also serve as party leader. But on Monday, she said she had decided that splitting the two jobs may help strengthen the party. She said she would not interfere in the choice for her successor.

默克尔曾表示，她认为总理以及该党党首职务应由一人担任。然而周一，她表示，已经决定将这两个职位分开，此举可能有助于巩固执政党的地位。但她表示，她不会干涉继任者的选择。

Merkel also said she hoped her decision to step down would permit “the government to concentrate its strength, finally, on governing well.” She added: “People rightly demand that.”

默克尔还表示，她希望辞职的决定能够让“政府最终集中力量，治理好政府”。她补充说：“人们要求这样做是合情合理的。”

Growing anti-immigrant feelings in Germany have fueled support for the AfD in recent years.

近年来，国内日益增长的反移民情绪导致民众纷纷倒戈德国新选择党(AfD)。

In one of her most debated political decisions, Merkel approved the acceptance of more than one million refugees during Europe’s migrant crisis in 2015. Many of the arrivals were fleeing fighting in Syria.

在2015年的欧洲移民危机期间，默克尔批准接纳100多万难民，这成为其最具争议的政治决定之一。许多难民是为了逃离叙利亚的战乱。

Her decision led to lasting tensions within the conservative movement. Merkel later accepted more restrictive migration policies.

该决定也导致了保守党内部持久的紧张关系。默克尔后来接受了更为严格的移民政策。

Words in This Story

setback – n. a problem that makes something happen later or slower than it should

chapter – n. a period of time during which something happens in history or in someone's life

concentrate – v. to put all your efforts into thinking very carefully about something