VOA标准英语2013--Mali's Election Campaign in Final Days

 

Mali's Election Campaign in Final Days

This last week before the vote will be a busy one.

Mali is trying to emerge from a year and a half of unprecedented¹ crisis. It started with another Tuareg rebellion, followed by a military coup², followed by an Islamist takeover, followed by a French-led military intervention³.

Candidates are all campaigning on pretty much the same platform - making sure this never happens again. They are pledging to fight corruption⁴, build a stronger army, and heal long-standing communal⁵ tensions once and for all.

The country’s largest political party has backed a relative unknown, Dramane Dembele.

"Malians must forgive each other today and shake hands for national reconciliation," said Dramane Dembele, ADEMA - PASJ's candidate.

Many Malians blame the crisis on those who governed over the past two decades.

Several of the top candidates, like Modibo Sidibe and Ibrahim Boubabar Keita, are former ministers and prime ministers and long-time fixtures⁶ on Mali’s political scene.

However many of the 27 candidates, like Dembele, are playing up their outsider status, something that appears to be resonating with voters.

"Dembele is not known because he has never been in the government and he has never wasted the country's resources. We have never heard of that from him,” said Sokona Sadjan Soumaré, Dembele supporter.

Voter turnout in Mali has been historically low - less than 40 percent. 

This time, there have been the usual big rallies. But candidates have also hit the road and taken to the air to go door to door, town to town, north to south, to mobilize voters.

Election officials are working against a fierce deadline.

Confusion remains⁷ about where and how to vote. As of Friday, more than two million voters had yet to pick up their biometric voter cards.

Voters like Gilbert Dembele said it wasn’t for lack of trying.

“This time it was easy, but I couldn’t get my card two weeks ago. There were too many people here the first and second day, so I had to leave,” said Dembele.

There are high hopes for this election, but it is not without risk. One candidate withdrew from the race, saying the country isn’t ready.

Pre-election violence has flared⁸ in the formerly⁹ rebel-held northern town of Kidal. Hasty preparations and flaws in the voter list could open the way for results there to be contested. 

1 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

2 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

3 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

4 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。

5 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

6 fixtures   

（房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动

参考例句：

• The insurance policy covers the building and any fixtures contained therein. 保险单为这座大楼及其中所有的设施保了险。
• The fixtures had already been sold and the sum divided. 固定设备已经卖了，钱也分了。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

9 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。