2007年VOA标准英语-Nigerian President Sees Reforms as Way Out of E

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
23 August 2007

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has appointed a retired¹ chief judge to head a panel on electoral reforms. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports that the review is considered crucial for the country's political future.

Umaru Yar'Adua

The April vote in Nigeria was billed as historic, because it was the first time one elected president handed over to another in Africa 's most populous² country and top oil producer.

But the elections were so badly rigged independent observers called them "not credible³" and "a sham⁴."

President Yar'Adua has accepted the polls were flawed and has promised reforms to conduct a free, fair and credible vote in 2011.

The 22-man panel is to review the country's electoral laws and suggest ways of making future elections credible. The group is made up of academics, lawyers, clerics, representatives of organized labor⁵ and civil society groups.

Some opposition⁶ figures have acknowledged that the group is made up of credible persons capable of drawing up far-reaching and pragmatic changes to the electoral system.

Many Nigerians had voting cards but could not vote

However, Nigeria 's elections watchdog Alliance for Credible Elections says the elections credibility crisis cannot be solved solely⁷ by constitutional engineering and that the legitimacy⁸ of the last elections should be reviewed as well.

To restore credibility, Emma Ezeazu, head of Alliance for Credible Elections, says the presidential vote, which gave Yar'Adua a massive win should be canceled.

"What happened in April was not a matter of law," she said.  "It was a predetermined action to undermine existing law.  If the tribunals and the Supreme⁹ Court succeed in annulling¹⁰ quite a number of these elections, particularly the presidency¹¹, the impact of that on electoral reforms will be more fundamental than mere¹² law reforms."

Opposition Action Congress says Mr. Yar'Adua lacks the moral authority to reform the electoral process.

Several opposition candidates are challenging the ruling party's landslide¹³ victory in court.  An election tribunal in Abuja is hearing petitions filed by two leading opposition presidential candidates, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari and ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

3 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

4 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 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。

7 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

8 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。

9 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。

10 annulling   

v.宣告无效( annul的现在分词 )；取消；使消失；抹去

参考例句：

• Cancellation: Voiding a debt by annulling or paying it. 撤销，解除[债务]:以取消或偿付的办法使一笔债务失效。 来自互联网

11 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。

12 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

13 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。