2006年VOA标准英语-Despite Election Day Mishaps, Haitians Vot

By Amelia Shaw
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
08 February 2006

Haitians stayed at the polls into the late hours Tuesday in the first democratic elections since former president Jean Bertrand Aristide went into exile following a violent uprising nearly two years ago.  Millions turned out for the vote, in some cases overwhelming their polling sites.

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People line up to vote in Petionville suburb of Port-au-Prince  
  

Midline George woke up at dawn Tuesday to walk to her polling stations to vote for a new government.  But, when she got to her polling site on lower Delmas in Port-au-Prince, she had no idea she would be in line for so long.

"I am hungry," she said.  "I have been [here] since four in the morning. I left my kids at home alone, they have not eaten, it is 10:30 and we still have not voted."

Many polls opened hours late because a lack of materials, absent election workers, and missing ballots².  There were other problems, too.  Many Haitians found their names left off the voting register or that they had been assigned to the wrong voting booth.

Violence broke out in some polling sites.  In Port-au-Prince, two elderly men died when crowds stampeded a polling center.  Near the town of St. Marc, a policeman shot into a stampeding crowd, killing³ one.  The policeman was then killed by the crowd of angry voters.

But overall, Haitians waited patiently to vote.

In a statement released by Provisional Election Council president Max Mathurin, the government sought to maintain calm.
 
 
UN-sponsored poster reads: "I vote for Haiti's future"  
  
"Despite the problems," he said, "we guarantee that every Haitian who has a voter identity card will have the chance to vote."

The polls remained open a few hours later to accommodate the voters.  U.N. officials say that the population voted in large numbers.  They say they hope this will be an important step to returning the country to legitimacy⁴, after 20 years of instability and successive coups⁵.  Hundreds of international election monitors watched the vote.

There are 33 presidential candidates on the ballot¹.  The frontrunner is a former president and Aristide protégé, Rene Preval.  If no candidate receives the 50 percent of the vote, there will be a run-off election next month.

Ballots are returning to the capital by U.N. helicopter, and by mule⁶ over Haiti's mountain roads.  Final results are expected Friday. 

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 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》

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

5 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

6 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。