2007年VOA标准英语-Winner of Disputed Nigerian Presidential Electi

By Nico Colombant
Abuja
23 April 2007

Nigeria's ruling party, whose candidate won the deeply flawed presidential election on Saturday, denied the ballot¹ was rigged. The opposition² candidates, however, have rejected the results of the election, which many outside observers said fell short of fairness. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Abuja.

President-Elect Yar'Adua denies he won flawed vote, 23 Apr 2007

Before a champagne³ celebration at his campaign headquarters in the capital, President-elect Umaru Yar'Adua said the fairness of the elections cannot be judged by outsiders' measures.

He was responding to the State Department which called Saturday's election flawed.

"It is in respect to which reference point? Is it with respect to the reference point of American elections? Or is it with respect to the 1999 elections or is it in respect to the 1983 elections in Nigeria or to the 2003 elections? So when people make statements, or even organizations, or even the U.S. State Department, they should qualify such statements and we know the reference point from which they are making their statement against," said Umaru Yar'Adua. "Once you know the reference point, then it will actually make sense."

Earlier, he rejected accusations⁴ by national Nigerian observers and opposition parties that the ruling party had rigged the vote in its favor.

"That is a conclusion which I think is a sweeping⁵ conclusion and an allegation which I do not think is based on facts," he said.

International observers have said the vote fell short of regional standards and that election authorities had failed Nigerians.

Earlier Monday, the election commission awarded the ruling party candidate over 24 million votes, nearly four times more than for his nearest rival, former military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari. No number for voter turnout was reported, nor any precise breakdown⁶ of the voting.

Women voting in Abuja, one of the rare places voting went well

In many opposition areas, voting never got under way or when it did ballot papers were insufficient⁷ for the number of voters.

In areas where voting took place, observers and journalists were witnesses to a number of irregularities, including underage voting, ballot box stuffing and mass thumb printing of unused ballot papers by ruling party supporters.

The party for the third place candidate, Vice⁸ President Atiku Abubakar, issued a statement late Monday, saying the results will not stand, but did not give details of how this would happen.

Some have suggested public protests, others court challenges, while some say the national assembly should reconvene and call for new elections. In the northern city of Kano, protesters lit bonfires as mark of their discontent.

Outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo who was prevented from changing the constitution to seek a third elected term is to hand over power to his successor on May 29.

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 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

4 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

5 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

6 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

7 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。