2006年VOA标准英语-Final Election Results Show Iraqi Shi'ites

By Ben Gilbert
Baghdad
20 January 2006

 
Iraqis stand in front of giant election ballot¹ billboard² in Baghdad
  
Shiite religious parties in Iraq came up short of securing a majority in the new parliament according to final results announced Friday by the Election Commission.  The results, which mean the Shi'ite parties will have to form a coalition³, came as a leading Sunni politician made an impassioned plea for the release of kidnapped American journalist Jill Carroll.

A reminder⁴ of how important Iraq's fledgling election process is to the country's long-neglected Shi'ite majority came today during a televised news conference announcing the final voting results.  As a member of Iraq's electoral commission, Safwat Rashid, announced the results, a staffer on a partisan⁵ Iraqi Shi'ite media outlet⁶ interrupted by opening up his own microphone.

That was a prayer of thanks for the victorious⁷ Shi'ite parties, as Rashid announced that those parties had captured 128 seats in the 275-member parliament.

Local Iraqis watch election official Safwat Rasheed read parliamentary election results  
  
The Shi'ite parties won the largest number of seats, but failed to capture the majority needed to pass legislation.  That means the parties will have to team up with the Kurdish coalition, which won 53 seats, or the two Sunni parties, which won a total of 55 seats together.

The secular⁸ party headed by the pro-U.S. former prime minister, Iyad Allawi, won 25 seats.  The party of Ahmed Chalabi, the former Iraqi exile once funded by the U.S. government, failed to win a single seat.

The Kurds and the Shi'ites dominated the previous parliament with more than a two-thirds majority, allowing them to ratify⁹ a constitution to their own tastes.  Now, both parties are just shy of the two-thirds majority, and will have to bargain with the smaller parties, especially the Sunnis, as a new government is formed in the coming weeks and months.

Sunni discontent is widely seen as fueling the insurgency¹⁰ here, and American officials have pressed the Kurds and Shi'ites to include Sunnis in the political process as a strategy toward stabilizing¹¹ the country.

One Sunni participating in the political process is Adnan al-Dulaimi.  In an interview broadcast on Arab Satellite Channel al-Arabiya, he asked for unity¹² in the political process, and he also appealed to the kidnappers¹³ of American journalist Jill Carroll for her release. 

 
Hostage American reporter Jill Carroll appears in a silent 20-second video aired Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006 by Al-Jazeera television
  
"In the name of God, in all the name of charity, I appeal for you to release this female journalist," he said. "She came to cover our news, and to defend our rights, she's one of the journalists who denounced the war against Iraq.  This act hurts me and makes me sad."

Dulaimi made the remarks hours before a deadline ran out on kidnappers' demands that all female detainees in American custody¹⁴ be released.  The kidnappers said they would kill Carroll Friday if their demands were not met.

Carroll had gone to interview Dulaimi at his office in a lawless Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad on January 7.  Dulaimi was not there and gunmen kidnapped Carroll and her translator less than 300 meters from his office as they drove away.  Her translator was found shot to death a few blocks away.

1 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。

2 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

3 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。

4 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

5 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

6 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

7 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

8 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

9 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

10 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

11 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

12 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。

13 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。