2006年VOA标准英语-Election Re-Runs Called in Parts of Sao To

By Franz Wild
Abidjan
27 March 2006
 
Election officials in Sao Tome and Principe say they will try to hold a new round of balloting¹ in parts of the country where some people were blocked from getting to polling stations on Sunday.

According to witnesses in Sao Tome and Principe, angry voters blocked roads in several districts, hindering voters from getting to some polling stations.

The president of the National Election Commission, Jose Carlos Barreiros, said about 10,000 registered voters were unable to vote.

He added that they would try to ensure these people had the opportunity to vote this week. This means that results will probably not be available for another week.

Eighty thousand people were eligible² for Sunday's vote, but there are no final figures on turnout.

Some protesters said they boycotted³ the vote because politicians have failed to provide basic services such as electricity, water, and road maintenance in the West African island state.

A Portuguese⁴ journalist there, Antonio Santos said many residents felt politicians were not performing basic duties.

"They boycotted because they wanted better access to the countryside, stability in the electrical light distribution, and they also say they do not have any kind of [clean] water to survive on," said Santos.

Santos said that voting had been calm, apart from the blockades. There had been no major incidents, he said.

Sao Tome gained its independence from Portugal in 1974 and mirrors its political system. A powerful president appoints a government from a separately elected parliament.

The center-left MLSTP-PSD party currently forms the government, occupying 24 of the 55 assembly seats.

But President Fradique de Menezes supports the opposing MDFM-PCD party, which holds one seat less.

The election campaign had revolved⁵ around mutual⁶ allegations of corruption⁷ between the main parties. The president has sacked several prime ministers in past years over corruption allegations.

Exploration of Sao Tome's considerable oil reserves began last year. Competing politicians promised voters drinking water, electricity, and better health and education. But the country has yet to draw any benefit from the oil.

Political analyst⁸ Chris Melville said this has caused major disappointment with Sao Tome's citizens.

"It would seem that a significant proportion of the population has become extremely frustrated⁹ with the political process and with the system of multi-party democracy that Sao Tome has. And they no longer have any confidence in the major parties, but are faced with little other choice about who to vote for. And this is of serious concern for the country," said Melville.

Melville explains that political problems do not bode¹⁰ well for companies looking to exploit Sao Tome's oil reserves.

"This kind of political instability has deterred¹¹ to differing degrees interest from the oil majors," he added. "When you have a country such as Sao Tome whose political system is unstable¹² and prone¹³ to frequent little storms in a tea-cup, you have a situation where the development of these off-shore fields becomes increasingly difficult."

The election is being taken as a measure of the popularity of President Menezes, who faces re-election in September.

1 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

2 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

3 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。

4 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

5 revolved   

v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The fan revolved slowly. 电扇缓慢地转动着。
• The wheel revolved on its centre. 轮子绕中心转动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

7 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。

8 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。

9 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 bode   

v.预示

参考例句：

• These figures do not bode well for the company's future.这些数字显示出公司的前景不妙。
• His careful habits bode well for his future.他那认真的习惯预示著他会有好的前途。

11 deterred   

v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I told him I wasn't interested, but he wasn't deterred. 我已告诉他我不感兴趣，可他却不罢休。
• Jeremy was not deterred by this criticism. 杰里米没有因这一批评而却步。 来自辞典例句

12 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

13 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。