VOA标准英语2010年-Iraqi Parliament Debate on Candidates

Parliament put off debate on appeals court verdict allowing hundreds of banned candidates with alleged¹ ties to the Ba'ath Party to take part in national elections

Edward Yeranian | Cairo 07 February 2010

An Iraqi woman holds a picture of her brother, who was allegedly killed by Baathists, as she chants anti-Ba'athist slogans during a protest in Baghdad, Iraq, 7 Feb 2010. Meanwhile, protesters in Baghdad and Basra demand for the ban to remain with shouts and banners proclaiming "No no for Ba'ath Party." (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Iraqi Appeals Court Confirms Ban of Dozens of Candidates as Political Tension Mounts
In Iraq, a political dispute continued to simmer Sunday, as parliament put off debate on an appeals court verdict allowing hundreds of banned candidates with alleged ties to Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party to take part in national elections.

An extraordinary parliamentary session to discuss the issue, scheduled for Sunday, was put off until Monday.  Iraqi Parliament Speaker Iyad al Samaraie said some key information was needed to debate the issue.

He says he is waiting for the final report of the appeals court, which ruled that banned candidates could remain on the ballot² for March 7 parliamentary elections, as well as original documents pertaining³ to specific candidates before holding the debate Monday. The appeals court, he argues, should have the confidence of everyone, and should have the final say in the matter. The appeals court ruled that banned candidates must be cleared of links to the Ba'ath Party before they can be seated in Iraq's new parliament.

Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki called for the parliamentary debate after branding the appeals court decision "illegal."

The ban prompted Iraqi Sunnis to accuse Iraq's Shi'ite-led government of trying to marginalize Sunni politicians.

Sunni Parliament speaker Samaraie said the dispute between Iraq's Sunni and Shi'ite political leaders should be settled before February 12, when campaigning begins.

Rival Sh'ite leaders, including Deputy Parliament Speaker Khaled al Attiya, and parliament legal committee chairman Baha al Araji want Iraq's Supreme⁴ Judicial⁵ Court to have the final word in resolving the dispute. Sunni lawmakers say the Supreme Court is biased⁶ in favor of Shi'ites.

Meanwhile, in Baghdad and Najaf, hundreds of Shi'ite demonstrators demanded that alleged members of the outlawed⁷ Ba'ath Party be banned from political life.

The escalating⁸ political dispute comes at a time of increasing sectarian violence. Three major explosions targeting Shi'ite pilgrims occurred during the past week. Many analysts⁹ worry that violence could get worse if elections were delayed.

 

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

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 pertaining   

与…有关系的，附属…的，为…固有的(to)

参考例句：

• Living conditions are vastly different from those pertaining in their country of origin. 生活条件与他们祖国大不相同。
• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school. 视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。

4 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。

5 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

6 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

7 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

8 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

9 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。