2007年VOA标准英语-Senegalese Opposition Enters Final Days of Elec

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
29 May 2007

In Senegal, more than a dozen opposition¹ political groups enter the final days of their boycott² against this coming Sunday's legislative³ election. They point to this past weekend's low turnout for the military as proof the boycott is working. But some say the boycott is a losing battle and are deserting the opposition to join the ruling party. Phuong Tran has more from Dakar.

The opposition coalition⁴ called "Front for the Restoration of Senegal" continues its call for a nationwide legislative election boycott because of what its leaders call widespread fraud during the presidential election, earlier this year, when President Wade⁵ won almost 56 percent of the vote.

Despite the opposition's efforts to delay the vote, through a court ruling, the already-twice-delayed legislative election is scheduled to take place this Sunday.

One of the coalition's leaders, Moustapha Fall, says his group's campaign to keep voters away from the polls is working.

He says the fact that only one-third of the military voted, this past weekend, shows how voters agree with the boycott. He says the higher military turnout for the presidential election shows the boycott has had an effect.

About 80 percent of the military and security forces voted in the presidential election.

But election observers and members of the president's coalition say legislative elections typically attract less attention than presidential ones and that the military and security forces are voting separately for the first time and cannot be used as a gauge⁶ for the nationwide vote.

Senegalese writer Mody Niang, who has written critical books about the president that he says are banned in Senegal, says the president's coalition is trying to prove it has voters' support, despite the boycott.

Observers say election was fair

The writer says President Wade has been fighting a possible drop in voter turnout by going to the countryside and treating villagers to extravagant⁷ feasts of chicken, sheep and beef. He says the ruling party plans to bus voters to the polls.

Niang says the boycott has actually worked in President Wade's favor, in one way: opposition members who do not want to wait five years until the next election to have a voice in the government are joining the president's coalition.

For the past eight years, Paul Ndong has been the mayor of Joal-Fadiouth, a fishing village 100 kilometers from the capital.

He says he was born into the Socialist⁸ Party and has been a committed Socialist his entire life until two months ago.

He went through what he calls a personal political upheaval⁹ and joined the president's ruling coalition, the Democratic Party of Senegal.

Ndong says he was not personally informed about the boycott. He says he learned about it from watching the news and does not understand why the opposition is boycotting¹⁰ and that he does not agree.

The mayor says the opposition could have won many of the 150 elected positions.

But the long-Socialist mayor says he is now faithful to the president's coalition.

In the streets of the capital, this taxi driver says he does not know about the boycott. He says he plans to drive his taxi 200 kilometers to his home village, in the northern Louga Province, to vote for President Wade's party.

He says taxi drivers tend to like how the president is trying to fix Dakar's congested roads.

1 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。

2 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

3 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

4 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。

5 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

6 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

7 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

8 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

9 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

10 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。