Indonesian Election Results Could Bring Radical Changes

 

 

Tim Johnston

 

With almost half the votes counted from last Monday's Indonesian elections, the incumbent¹ ruling party is maintaining a very slight lead. But the results could bring radical² change to Indonesia's political landscape.

 

President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, known by its Indonesian initials PDIP, was barely ahead in the count Saturday, with a little more than 20 percent of the vote. The country's other big secular-nationalist party, Golkar, was trailing by less than half a percent.

 

Observers, including the Washington-based National Democratic Institute, expect Golkar to end up with a slight lead when all the ballots⁵ are counted, but that might be some weeks away.

 

According to projections⁶ derived⁷ from a survey run by NDI and a number of local institutions, Golkar will end up with just under 23 percent of the vote, followed by Mrs. Megawati's party with 19 percent.

 

With neither expected to win anything close to a majority, party leaders are already discussing possible coalitions⁸, and the results are promising⁹ to change Indonesia's political landscape radically¹⁰.

 

New parties, such as the Democrat³ Party of former security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and the Party of Justice and Prosperity, an Islamic group, have won substantial backing, and may well play a crucial role in setting policy in the next government.

 

Some of the 24 parties contesting the elections have demanded a recount of all the ballots, which would be a huge job in a country with 147 million registered voters. The parties say the original count at the regional level was not transparent¹¹ enough.

 

Paul Rowland is the resident representative of the National Democratic Institute in Jakarta. He says that although the complaints may be partly political posturing¹², there may also be genuine grounds for a challenge.

 

"If the parties were not allowed to monitor or observe some of the paper counting process or the physical counting process that continues today, then that would be a cause for concern for the parties, and potentially cause for a challenge."

 

Some electoral observers have been warning since before the vote that the logistical and systemic complications of the ballot⁴ could lead to challenges by parties unhappy with the outcome.

 

Indonesian [7indEu5ni:FEn] adj. 印度尼西亚的

incumbent [in5kQmbEnt] adj. 统领（印度尼西亚）的，在职的，职责所在的

ruling [5ru:liN] adj. 统治的，支配的

radical [5rAdikEl] adj. 根本的，基本的

landscape [5lAndskeip] n. 形式，前景

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle  印度民主斗争党（PDIP）

initials [i5niFEls] n. 姓名（或组织名称）词首大写字母

secular-nationalist party  世俗政党

trail [treil] vt. 尾随，紧跟其后

National Democratic Institute  全称为全国国际事务民主学会（National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, or “NDI”），是美国的一个民间组织，它致力于在世界范围内加强和扩大民主建设

ballot [5bAlEt] n. 选举票，投票，票数

projections [prE5dVekFEn] n. （根据趋势所作的）预测，推测，估计

the Party of Justice and Prosperity  繁荣正义党

Islamic [Iz`lAmIk] adj. 伊斯兰教的

contest [5kCntest] v.　争夺

transparent [trAns5pZErEnt] adj. 透明的，明晰的

Jakarta [dVE5kB:tE] n. 雅加达（印度尼西亚首都）

posture¹³ [5pCstFE] v. 摆姿势，作出姿态

logistical [lE5dVIstIkEl] adj. 算数的，逻辑的

complication [7kCmpli5keiF(E)n] n. 复杂化，（使复杂的）因素

1 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

2 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

3 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

4 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。

5 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》

6 projections   

预测( projection的名词复数 )； 投影； 投掷； 突起物

参考例句：

• Their sales projections are a total thumbsuck. 他们的销售量预测纯属估计。
• The council has revised its projections of funding requirements upwards. 地方议会调高了对资金需求的预测。

7 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。

9 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

10 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

11 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

12 posturing   

做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was posturing a model. 她正在摆模特儿的姿势。
• She says the President may just be posturing. 她说总统也许只是在做样子而已。

13 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。