美国国家公共电台 NPR--Final votes are being counted in Turkey's closely watched presidential election

Final votes are being counted in Turkey's closely watched presidential election

Transcript¹

It looks like Turkey's presidential election is heading for a runoff between incumbent² Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Election officials say Turkey's closely watched presidential race is heading for a runoff between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The winner will define Turkey's role at a vital time for the NATO alliance.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

After two decades in power, Erdogan has been facing his toughest challenge yet. His rival has been dubbed³ Turkey's Gandhi, and he's promising⁴ big changes, including closer ties with the West. And none of the candidates were able to get 50% of the total votes to win outright⁵.

FADEL: NPR's Peter Kenyon joins us now from Istanbul. Good morning, Peter.

PETER KENYON, BYLINE⁶: Hi, Leila.

FADEL: So, Peter, was this extremely close race and lack of a clear result expected?

KENYON: Well, it was a surprise, I'd say, to some pundits⁷ and opposition⁸ party supporters, certainly. They were convinced that after 20 years in power, voters were getting tired of Erdogan. Now, this is a politician who was vilified⁹ for a sluggish¹⁰ response to a deadly earthquake in southern Turkey just a few months ago, and he's been presiding over an ailing¹¹ economy. And yet, once again, he seems to have reached beyond his core base of supporters and attracted enough votes to apparently¹², at least, avoid losing if not win outright.

FADEL: OK, so Erdogan surprised those who predicted he was finished and made a strong showing despite the economic situation and people's anger over the earthquake response. How did he do it?

KENYON: Well, some of it's being attributed to Erdogan's political skills which are pretty well-known here, at least. He's a strong orator¹³. Many voters say he projects a strong image. They like that. They say he makes world powers pay more attention to Turkey than they might otherwise. Also, there has been concern in some quarters that the opposition party that Kilicdaroglu leads has a kind of a history of losing to Erdogan's ruling party. These results certainly aren't likely to change that perception.

FADEL: Now, if Erdogan does manage to pull out a victory and win another five years in power, what are the foreign policy implications here, especially when it comes to Turkey's relationship with the U.S. and other NATO allies?

KENYON: Yes, well, exactly. Another Erdogan term would likely continue the contentious¹⁴ relations Turkey's had with its NATO allies and the West in general. He's resisted NATO's attempts to add Sweden and Finland to the alliance. He did eventually agree to support Finland's bid. Sweden is still waiting as Erdogan demands concessions¹⁵ from Stockholm that they say they can't provide. Turkey's also moved closer to Russia under Erdogan, and that does concern the West. Turkey didn't join other nations in sanctioning Moscow after it invaded Ukraine, for instance, and it refused to give up missiles it acquired from Russia. Turkey also has expanded its influence in many places - Asia, Africa, the Middle East. So the results of this election are being watched closely in a number of capitals.

FADEL: And what's next?

KENYON: They should square off again in another nationwide vote on May 28. Then the question becomes, what happens to the votes that were being cast for the two other candidates that were in the race? Meanwhile, voters are watching to see what comes next.

FADEL: NPR's Peter Kenyon in Istanbul. Thank you, Peter.

KENYON: Thanks, 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 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

3 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

6 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。

7 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 vilified   

v.中伤，诽谤( vilify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was vilified in newspapers. 他在报纸上受到了诽谤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She was vilified by the press for her controversial views. 因她持有异议，新闻界对她横加挞伐。 来自互联网

10 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

11 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

12 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

13 orator   

n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• The orator gestured vigorously while speaking.这位演讲者讲话时用力地做手势。

14 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

15 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。