VOA常速英语2008年-Zimbabweans Hold Mock Elections in London

By Tendai Maphosa
London
29 March 2008

Zimbabwean law does not allow citizens outside the country to vote. But to show their solidarity¹ with Zimbabweans who are voting in Saturday's elections, some of those in the diaspora have organized mock balloting³. Tendai Maphosa visited one so-called polling station in London and filed this report for VOA.

The closest these exiles can get to Zimbabwe is outside Zimbabwe's embassy in downtown London, where they set up a mock polling station. The carnival⁴ atmosphere suggested a celebration, but many of those gathered here said they are aware that, when the votes are counted, there might be little to celebrate.  Most are supporting the presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai, of the opposition⁵ Movement for Democratic Change, against long-time president Robert Mugabe, of the ruling ZANU-PF party.   

MAN1: "Every one knows that the opposition is going to win the elections, but officially, Robert Mugabe is going to win it."

MAN2: "Mugabe will rig it and he has already done so I am afraid."

MAN3: "Whether they are going to rig the election, I am quite optimistic that the MDC is still going to win."

The mock polling station comes complete with ballot² papers, a ballot box, people dressed as polling officials and others in Zimbabwe police and army uniforms.

One complaint of the Zimbabwean opposition is that the presence of police officers in polling stations intimidates⁶ voters. The government says the police are there to help those who cannot vote by themselves.

The opposition has also complained that the voting rolls have been inflated⁷. It charges that people who died ages ago and what it describes as non-existent "ghost voters" are on the rolls.

In London, the Zimbabweans enacted⁸ scenes showing how, they say, elections are stolen in Zimbabwe.

Ephraim Tapa explains.

"We have seen people coming out of their coffins⁹, the dead casting votes, we have also seen some people declaring that they are illiterate¹⁰, they are blind, so that they can be assisted by ZANU-PF functionaries¹¹ who are dressed up in police uniforms and army uniforms, just to illustrate¹² how, to what extent, Mugabe can go in terms of rigging the election," he said.

Agnes, who came to the embassy on Saturday, is a supporter of Morgan Tsvangirai. She is cautiously optimistic that he will succeed in his attempt to be Zimbabwe's second president since the country's independence in 1980.

"Change is what Zimbabwe needs," she said.  "We have long suffered, and the hope is that 2008 is the year that we will have that change."

But those who spoke¹³ to VOA said they hope that whatever the result, the situation will not degenerate¹⁴ into the kind of violence that followed presidential elections in Kenya last year.

But they also said that the economic difficulties facing the people of Zimbabwe may leave them no choice but to go into the streets. 

Zimbabwe is holding presidential, parliamentary and local council elections against the backdrop of the highest inflation rate in the world, high unemployment, and chronic¹⁵ shortages of food, fuel and electricity.

Critics of Mr. Mugabe blame him for the country's crisis.  He blames the problems on sanctions imposed by former colonial power, Britain.

Besides Tsvangirai, Mr. Mugabe is also facing a challenge from Simba Makoni, a former finance minister running as an independent.

1 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

2 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。

3 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

4 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

5 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。

6 intimidates   

n.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的名词复数 )v.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He intimidates the children by shouting at them. 他朝孩子们大声叫喊以吓唬他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Militant Islam condemns and intimidates and kills Muslims before anyone else. 穆斯林武装分子非难、恐吓和杀害穆斯林自己人在先。 来自互联网

7 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

9 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

10 illiterate   

adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲

参考例句：

• There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
• I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

11 functionaries   

n.公职人员，官员( functionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Indian transmitters were court functionaries, not missionaries. 印度文化的传递者都是朝廷的官员而不是传教士。 来自辞典例句
• All government institutions functionaries must implement state laws, decrees and policies. 所有政府机关极其工作人员都必须认真执行国家的法律，法规和政策。 来自互联网

12 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

14 degenerate   

v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者

参考例句：

• He didn't let riches and luxury make him degenerate.他不因财富和奢华而自甘堕落。
• Will too much freedom make them degenerate?太多的自由会令他们堕落吗？

15 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。