VOA标准英语 Indonesians Vote in Parliamentary Elections

Indonesians voted Thursday in legislative¹ elections across the vast nation of islands. Results are not yet in, but opinion polls show President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party may be the big winner.
　
Indonesian woman casts ballot² at polling station in Jakarta, 09 Apr 2009

People crowded in front of polling stations, early Thursday, to cast their votes for local and national lawmakers.

As election organizers announced the start of voting at a station in the capital, Jakarta, lines were formed and names called.

Some complain ballots³ are too big

The orderly process masked the challenges and criticism Indonesia has faced in organizing these massive elections.

The only signs of problems were the many voters who needed help to fold their beach-towel-sized ballots and push them through the skinny slots in metal voting boxes.

Lwan Sukawana, 44, voiced his complaint about the election.

He says it is a bit more difficult for him. He says, in the past, he only chose among a few candidates, but today there are so many options and he has to make too many marks on the ballot.

Indonesia is the world's third largest democracy, after India and the United States.

About 170-million people are eligible⁴ to vote for their choices among tens of thousands of candidates.

Polls favor president

Opinion polls indicate the Democratic party of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to win the most votes, increasing its base of support.

This is only the third legislative election since the 1998 fall of Suharto, who ruled Indonesia for more than 30 years, before the economy collapsed⁵.

Indonesia is now Southeast Asia's biggest economy. However, many Indonesians still live in poverty.

Like other Indonesians voting Thursday, Heriyadi Kurniawan will not say who he voted for, but does say what he wants his vote to accomplish.

He says he hopes his vote can make a difference for average people, so they can at least have basic education and health care. He says this is most important for Indonesia because education is still expensive.

Violence marred⁶ campaign

Campaigning for the elections was marred by what analysts⁷ say were politically-motivated assassinations⁸ in restive⁹ Aceh province. Authorities in Papua say attacks by rebels left six people dead, before voting stations opened, Thursday.

Concerns about violence, vote-rigging and vote-buying were largely forgotten by the time Indonesians cast their votes.

But new election rules have raised the threshold for winning legislative seats and fielding a candidate for the more-important presidential election in July.

Those political parties that are just under the required number of votes could contest elections, possibly delaying official results and the presidential election.

1 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。

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 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

9 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。