VOA标准英语10月-Pro-Democracy Activist Wins Maldives Election, De

In Maldives, a political activist¹ who spent years in prison has won the country's first democratic presidential election. Mohamed Nasheed has defeated President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who led the country for three decades, but was widely criticized for ruling like a dictator. Anjana Pasricha has a report from New Delhi.
　

Mohamed Nasheed addresses media in Male, Maldives, 29 Oct 2008

Thousands of jubilant supporters of Mohamed Nasheed danced and cheered in the streets in Male, Wednesday, after the Election Commission pronounced him the victor of the runoff election.

Mohamed Nasheed ran as head of the Maldivian Democratic Party. He won about 54 percent of the vote, while President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom got nearly 46 percent. The runoff election was held after no candidate could get 50 percent of the vote in the first presidential poll, held earlier this month.

President Gayoom, who has ruled the chain of islands in the Indian Ocean for 30 years, has promised a peaceful transition. He had won six previous elections in the country as the only candidate and has been criticized for ruling like a dictator and suppressing his opponents.

In 2004, growing street protests and international pressure forced President Gayoom to allow some democratic reforms and paved the way for this month's multiparty election.

At forefront of the campaign for greater democracy was Mohamed Nasheed. He had been jailed several times on what human rights groups say are trumped² up charges.

A South Asia analyst³, S.D. Muni, says Nasheed's victory will strengthen the movement toward democracy in several small South Asian nations.

"This is important, looking at the democratization drive in South Asia. You have Nepal changing. You have Bhutan changing. Now you have Maldives also changing. So, it is strengthening the democratic trend in South Asia," said Muni.

Nasheed has promised to usher⁴ in more political freedom and root out corruption⁵, which critics say is rampant⁶ under President Gayoom. He is also promising⁷ more broad-based governance, and an administration which will improve conditions for the average citizen.

Professor Muni says the new government will try to change a system in which President Gayoom's friends and relatives control most of the powerful posts in the country.

"Almost all the opposition⁸ parties seem to have come together under Nasheed Anni's support, and that would broaden up the governance and political system, with greater emphasis on not only democratization, but also on development and more of administrative⁹ efficiency," he said.

The Maldives is a chain of about 1200 low-lying islands, which has emerged as a top tourist destination in Asia. Gayoom has won praise for building a vibrant¹⁰ economy, with the highest per capita income in South Asia. But poverty persists in the country of 350,000 people, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 trumped   

v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去分词 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造

参考例句：

• That woman trumped up various baseless charges against him. 那个女人捏造种种毫无根据的罪名指控他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Several of his colleagues trumped up a complaint to get him removed from the job. 他的几位同事诬告他，使他丟掉了工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

5 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。

6 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

7 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

8 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。

9 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

10 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。