美国国家公共电台 NPR--Kenyans face a tense wait for the results of Tuesday's presidential election

Kenyans face a tense wait for the results of Tuesday's presidential election

Transcript¹

The presidential election in Kenya drew low voter turnout on Tuesday pitting opposition² leader Raila Odinga against Deputy President William Ruto, among other candidates.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Kenyans face a tense wait for the results of Tuesday's presidential election.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The two front-runners in this tight race are the former prime minister, Raila Odinga, and current deputy president, William Ruto.

FADEL: NPR's East Africa correspondent Eyder Peralta joins us now from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Hi, Eyder.

EYDER PERALTA, BYLINE³: Hey, Leila.

FADEL: So you were out all day at the polls yesterday. What was the mood, and how was the turnout?

PERALTA: The numbers we have seen so far show a historically low turnout - perhaps the lowest turnout since Kenya became a real democracy. And that's what I heard yesterday - a lot of cynicism, a lot of apathy⁴ - that they come to vote every five years, and their lives - the lives of ordinary Kenyans - stay the same. In fact, right now, life is tough. There are few jobs. Inflation is through the roof. A lot of Kenyans are only eating one meal a day. I talked to one man who had just finished voting, and I asked him if he was looking for change. And he gave me a half smile, and he told me that looking for change in Kenya is like looking for gold in the ocean. And I don't know much about mining, but I checked. And getting gold from the ocean is nearly impossible.

FADEL: Wow. This is now expected to be a tightly fought race. You describe this low turnout, apathy, but tell us more about the two front-runners that people are choosing between.

PERALTA: So both of these guys have been around Kenyan politics for decades. Raila Odinga is a former prime minister. He has been the perennial⁵ opposition leader, running for president for the fifth time. And William Ruto is currently the deputy president. But over the past two years, the allegiances in Kenya have shifted dramatically. Both of these two politicians became friends with enemies and enemies with friends. It's been a soap opera, and in some ways it has lifted the veil for Kenyans. I think a lot of them started wondering if politics - for which thousands have died in this country - is just a game to their leaders, and a lot of them opted⁶ out this time around.

FADEL: Right - what you saw at the polls. When are we expecting to get the final results?

PERALTA: We already have preliminary results. They're showing a tight race, but the Constitution gives the electoral board seven days to finish their counting. But we should get results by tomorrow or maybe the next day.

FADEL: And past elections in Kenya - they've turned violent. Are there concerns that that might happen this time around?

PERALTA: I mean, that's always a concern, and the government has deployed⁷ a lot of security across the country. But I can tell you that, on the streets, I heard a lot of apathy, even about defending this election. In the past, I would talk to people, and they would tell me that if things didn't go their candidate's way, they were prepared to die. I did not hear that this time around. I heard a lot of Kenyans wanting this to be over. One analyst⁸ told me that perhaps it's a sign - and it's a good one, he says - that elections in Kenya have become routine. But violence is unpredictable. Everyone is holding their breath for now. But for now, everything is quiet.

FADEL: Election is routine, but so many people really not - it doesn't sound like they're having hope in the system at all.

PERALTA: Yeah, that's right.

FADEL: NPR's Eyder Peralta in Nairobi. Thank you so much.

PERALTA: Thank you, Leila.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 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。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

5 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

6 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

7 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。