VOA标准英语2010年-Analysts See Notable Differences Betwe

Political observers have praised the recent Ukrainian elections, saying the outcome of Sunday's second round contest between Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and one of her predecessors¹, Viktor Yanukovych, is not predetermined.  That's in stark² contrast to neighboring Russia, where the 2008 election of President Dmitri Medvedev was a forgone³ conclusion.  VOA Moscow Correspondent Peter Fedynsky contrasts presidential elections in two former Soviet⁴ republics.

About 3,000 foreign election observers declared that, despite a few irregularities, the first round of Ukraine's presidential election on January 17 met international standards for honesty.

Joao Soares, is President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which facilitates dialogue among members of the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe.

"This election was a very good election,said Joao Soares. "It was election of high quality. It offered the voters genuine choice between candidates, and it showed significant progress over previous elections."

The OSCE did not send observers to monitor Russia's 2008 presidential vote citing restrictions⁵ imposed by the Russian government.

Liliya Shibanova is head of the independent Russian monitoring group, Golos. She says the organization received a steady stream of complaints about ballot⁶ box stuffing, false voter registration⁷ and use of multiple ballots⁸.

"What we've observed at polling stations is a lack of control, dependence⁹ of the election commissions on the authorities, on the election organizers, massive violations¹⁰ of the political competition and of the election procedure on the whole," said Liliya Shibanova.

Media access before the election was a problem too.

During the Russian presidential campaign, Dmitri Medvedev, in his  capacity then as deputy prime minister, was featured almost daily on state-controlled news programs but opponents were largely excluded.  

The Kremlin's media grip has prompted several prominent Russian journalists to move their programs to Ukraine.

They include Savik Shuster, who now hosts a political talk show from Kyiv. 

"Look, the program runs live, all political parties are present, and the lawmakers are talking, arguing, debating," said Savik Shuster.

In Ukraine, presidential contenders Tymoshenko and Yanukovych have been seeking the support of candidates they defeated in the first round, especially Serhiy Tihipko.

The businessman and former Economics Minister finished third with 13 percent of the vote.

Ms. Tymoshenko has offered him the prime minister's job, if she wins,  in exchange for an endorsement¹¹.  Tihipko says he is willing to serve as prime minister regardless of who wins. 

Many Ukrainians say the choice is difficult. Tymoshenko  opponents express fears of what they perceive as her authoritarian¹² streak¹³ and poor economic skills.

Mr. Yanukovych's detractors cite his criminal record and say he would serve the interests of oligarchs.  He explains his two prison sentences for assault and robbery as errors of youth more than 40 years ago.

In Moscow, civil servant Yuri Traftov says Ukrainians need not worry.

"Well, what can one say, Ukraine has democracy," said Yuri Traftov. "They are electing a president and this is good. If they are not satisfied, they will elect another one."

No so for Russia.

Russia and Ukraine both prohibit more than two consecutive¹⁴ presidential terms,  

Neither Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin nor President Dmitri Medvedev has ruled out another presidential bid.

But Mr. Putin has also said they would decide between themselves who would run.

And whoever it is, hardly anyone doubts he will win.

 

1 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

3 forgone   

v.没有也行，放弃( forgo的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Tax expenditures are the revenues forgone due to preferential tax treatment. 税收支出是由于税收优惠待遇而放弃的收入。 来自互联网
• The alternative forgone is called the opportunity cost. 这种选择性的放弃就叫做机会成本。 来自互联网

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 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。

7 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

8 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》

9 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

10 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

11 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

12 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

13 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

14 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。