2006年VOA标准英语-Ukrainians Prepare to Elect New Parliament

By Lisa McAdams
Kiev
23 March 2006
 

Ukrainian lawmakers attend a parliament session in Kiev, Ukraine, in this Jan. 10, 2006 photo  
  
Ukrainians vote for a new parliament Sunday - a critical election that could change the nation's political orientation¹ from West to East. A total of 45 political parties, or blocs³, will compete, but the race focusses on the parties of Ukraine's three main political leaders who captured the nation's attention during the so-called Orange Revolution of 2004.

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Unlike the presidential elections in 2004, which were marked by mass protests, multiple court appeals and even a candidate's poisoning, this year's parliamentary elections promise to be the most democratic since Ukraine gained independence in 1991.

The race also promises to highlight much greater political participation⁴ than ever before, as most previous elections in Ukraine were dominated by members of the Communist Party of the former Soviet⁵ Union.

In the final hours of campaigning, which draws to a close late Friday, local television was awash with a flurry of campaign ads reflecting a broad spectrum⁶ of candidates from nationalists to conservatives, to pro-Russian and pro-Western reform parties.

 
Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko (file photo) 
  

Most election-watchers agree the race is between parties of the three main players of Ukraine's so-called Orange Revolution. They are President Viktor Yushchenko and his Our Ukraine Party, the bloc² of his former prime minister and once closest political ally, Yulia Timoshenko, and former pro-Russia Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and his Party of The Regions.

But what a difference a year makes. Latest polls indicate that Yanukovych, the big loser in 2004, who saw his initial win annulled⁷ by Ukraine's Supreme⁸ Court due to fraud, leading in the polls. His Party of The Regions is expected to take up to 30 percent of the vote in Sunday's elections.

The polls also show incumbent⁹ President Yushchenko in a real battle for second place with Timoshenko's forces, following the two party's bitter split last September, during which the president fired Timoshenko from her post as prime minister. Each of their parties is projected to win from 17 to 20 percent of the vote.

Kiev-based independent political analyst¹⁰ Ivan Lozowy tells VOA that Yushchenko is in a tight spot due to his inability to capitalize on the huge political mandate¹¹ he was given by Ukraine's people during the mass protests of 2004."The popular demonstrations¹² ushered¹³ him into the presidency¹⁴.

"Unfortunately, overall expectations following the Orange Revolution of 2004 have not been fulfilled, by and large, and there is a lot of disappointment," said Lozowyt. "There is quite a bit I think even almost anger at the fact that the situation has not changed much. There have been very few reforms in terms of the corruption¹⁵ that is very endemic in Ukrainian society."
 

Yulia Tymoshenko addresses her supporters at a rally in Kiev  
  
Lozowy says the president's team has also been hard hit by the very public split from former ally Timoshenko, who remains¹⁶ one of the most popular politicians in Ukraine.

That split has left many former supporters of the pro-Western Orange Revolution casting about for a candidate. Just two days away from the election, up to 20 percent of Ukraine's voters are undecided.

Others, like this middle-aged¹⁷ factory-worker, have switched their allegiance.

The man tells VOA he used to have a lot of trust in President Yushchenko. But he says Yushchenko has shown himself to be "flexible," in his political positions like his former rival Yanukovych. So, the man says he now has more faith that Yulia Timoshenko will continue the pro-western reform path promised during Ukraine's Orange Revolution.

The man says he is also worried that a win by Yanukovych and his forces will mean an end to the dream of democratic reform that brought hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians out into the streets for weeks in 2004.

The stakes of Sunday's election are especially high. The candidate with the majority of votes will gain the most political leverage¹⁸ in parliament, forming a coalition¹⁹ that will determine the make up of Ukraine's next government.

That is yet another difference in this year's elections. Due to constitutional changes agreed to during the political revolution, the parliament now has the power to pick the prime minister, rather than the president.

Neighboring Russia is also offering much less overt²⁰ support during this year's election, after being accused by some in Ukraine and the west of heavy-handed meddling²¹ into Ukraine's affairs in 2004.

President Putin was the first leader to congratulate Yanukovych on his win, before the presidential race was even formally declared. That greeting later came to haunt the Russian president when the election results were annulled.

Vladimir Putin  
  
But if current projections²² are borne out, President Putin could be vindicated²³, as candidate Yanukovych appears on the brink²⁴ of a major political come-back fueled, in part, by his pledge to return Ukraine to a more Russian orientation.

The United States and Europe have said they will work with whatever party emerges the ultimate winner in Sunday's election.

1 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

2 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

3 blocs   

n.集团，联盟( bloc的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The division of Europe into warring blocs produces ever-increasing centrifugal stress. 把欧洲分为作战集团产生了越来越大的离心效果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The policy of the two blocs was played out. 把世界分为两个集团的政策已经过时了。 来自辞典例句

4 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

5 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

6 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

7 annulled   

v.宣告无效( annul的过去式和过去分词 )；取消；使消失；抹去

参考例句：

• Their marriage was annulled after just six months. 他们的婚姻仅过半年就宣告取消。
• Many laws made by the former regime have been annulled. 前政权制定的许多法律被宣布无效。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 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。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

12 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

13 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

15 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

16 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

17 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

18 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

19 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。

20 overt   

adj.公开的，明显的，公然的

参考例句：

• His opponent's intention is quite overt.他的对手的意图很明显。
• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。

21 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

22 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。

23 vindicated   

v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护

参考例句：

• I have every confidence that this decision will be fully vindicated. 我完全相信这一决定的正确性将得到充分证明。
• Subsequent events vindicated the policy. 后来的事实证明那政策是对的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。