VOA慢速英语20060805a

IN THE NEWS - Citizens of War-Torn Congo Await Outcome of Historic ElectionsBy Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Saturday, August 05, 2006

This is Steve Ember with IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo had to wait a long time for the elections last Sunday. It was the first time in almost a half-century that there were candidates from more than one party. Great numbers of people voted in the presidential and legislative¹ elections. But a slow start to counting votes means another wait.


President Joseph Kabila

Early reports suggested that President Joseph Kabila faced his strongest competition from Vice² President Jean-Pierre Bemba. More than thirty presidential candidates were on the ballot³. If no one gets fifty percent of the vote, citizens will choose between the two top candidates in October.

President Kabila heads a large coalition⁴ of parties. Mister Bemba is a former leader of a rebel force. Several human rights groups have accused him of major violations⁵. He is one of four vice presidents in a temporary government of national unity⁶.

Almost ten thousand candidates competed for the five hundred seats in the national legislature. Thousands more ran for local legislatures.

Final results are not expected for about three weeks.

The United Nations helped organize the elections. U.N. peacekeeping troops and a force from Gabon assisted with security. The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly⁷ Zaire, is a huge country in Central Africa with sixty million people.

The U.N. Security Council praised the millions who, it said, took part freely and peacefully, in democratic elections of historical importance for their nation. It also appealed to the Congolese people to receive the results with the same spirit of civic⁸ responsibility.

Most foreign observers were satisfied with the voting process. But several presidential candidates say there was cheating. They include former rebel leader Azarias Ruberwa. He was supported by Rwanda during the years of civil war in which almost four million people died in Congo. A number of nations took part in the fighting between nineteen ninety-six and two thousand two.

The main opposition⁹ party, led by Etienne Tshisekedi, boycotted¹⁰ the elections. Some local election officials accused his supporters of setting fire to election centers and voting materials in a diamond-mining city.

Mister Tshisekedi became active in politics in nineteen sixty. That was the year Congo won independence from Belgium.

In nineteen ninety-seven Laurent Kabila, father of the current president, ousted¹¹ the longtime dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. Joseph Kabila became president after his father was killed at his palace in two thousand one.

Supporters say Joseph Kabila united the rebels to help end the war. Critics say he should not lead Congo because he was not born there -- something he denies.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written this week by Jerilyn Watson. You can read transcripts¹² of our shows and listen online at www.unsv.com.

1 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

4 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。

5 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

6 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

7 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

8 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

9 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。

10 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。

11 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

12 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句