美国国家公共电台 NPR--Turkish voters will head back to the polls for Sunday's presidential runoff

Turkish voters will head back to the polls for Sunday's presidential runoff

Transcript¹

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in a strong position to win the election — despite a devastating² earthquake that many observers predicted would end his rule.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This weekend, Turkish voters will cast their ballots³ in the second round of a presidential election.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan failed to win a clear majority in the first round, so he faces a runoff against just one challenger.

INSKEEP: And NPR's Peter Kenyon is following this story in one of the most important countries in its region. Hey there, Peter.

PETER KENYON, BYLINE⁴: Hi, Steve.

INSKEEP: So when you talk with voters, do you get an idea that people think they could change their president that they've had for the last two decades, the leader they've had the last two decades?

KENYON: At the moment, the trend seems to be retaining the president they've had for the last two decades. Many of the people I've spoken with say they believe unless there's some dramatic change in the vote on Sunday, they do expect Erdogan to win another five years in office. Even strong supporters of the challenger, veteran politician Kemal Kilicdaroglu, say they just don't think two weeks is enough time to make up the difference.

INSKEEP: OK. But there have been so many stories about frustration⁶ with Erdogan, about the dismay of the opposition⁷, about protests surrounding the response to an earthquake. How would he be in position to hold on to power?

KENYON: Well, it is remarkable⁸. I mean, and then look at the currency. The lira has plunged⁹ to another record low. It's now 20 to the U.S. dollar. But when I first started reporting from here, it was, like, 1 1/2 to the dollar. So...

INSKEEP: Wow.

KENYON: ...It's really in bad shape. Families say they can barely pay for basics. Anything else is beyond reach. I spoke⁵ with an analyst¹⁰, Mustafa Akyol. He's a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He said Erdogan has managed to redirect attention away from this terrible economy by focusing on himself, adopting the mantle¹¹ of a religiously devout¹² leader, steering¹³ this majority-Muslim nation through difficult times. Akyol says surprisingly to some, that message has really resonated with voters.

MUSTAFA AKYOL: It's not the economy here. It's identity politics and culture war. All good, pious¹⁴, conservative Muslims should vote for him because he's their savior. He's reviving the glory of the Ottoman Empire. He's making Turkey great and Muslim again. He has created a huge propaganda machine, which is pumping this narrative¹⁵ every day to Turkish society through media, through soap operas on TVs.

KENYON: Now, after the first round, as I checked in with voters, the comments I heard most frequently reflected this sharp disappointment with Turkish politics in general, plus a lot of worries for how long they can make ends meet. But there also seems to be a base of belief - maybe it's just a hope - that Erdogan is the one to turn things around despite his unorthodox economic policies that some are blaming for the soaring inflation we see now.

INSKEEP: OK. So we've got the economy. We've got these cultural issues or culture war issues. What else is on voters' minds?

KENYON: Well, in a word, immigration. A lot of anger over that in the Turkish Republic. You might remember over a decade ago, it was Erdogan's government who began welcoming Syrians and other migrants fleeing either conflict or economic hard times at home. Europe had shut its doors. They were paying Turkey to keep the migrants. Now as Turkish families struggle, calls for the migrants to be sent home have been growing, and both Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu have been listening. Erdogan says a million are going home, and Kilicdaroglu says similar.

INSKEEP: When do the results come in?

KENYON: Well, the polls are open all day Sunday. They close at 5 p.m. Istanbul time. And we should be getting unofficial results a few or several hours later.

INSKEEP: Amazing reflection of politics in Turkey and around the world. Peter, thanks so much.

KENYON: Thanks, Steve.

INSKEEP: That's NPR's Peter Kenyon in Istanbul.

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 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

3 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》

4 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。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

7 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。

8 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

9 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

10 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。

11 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。

12 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

13 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

14 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

15 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。