VOA慢速英语2019--泰国公主参加首相竞选（在线收听）

Thai Princess Enters Race for Prime Minister

The older sister of Thailand’s king says she will run for prime minister in elections to be held next month.

泰国国王的姐姐表示自己将竞选总统，而大选下个月就要举行了。

The move by Princess Ubolratana Mahidol breaks a long-held Thai tradition of keeping the royal family independent from politics. She is the sister of Thailand’s current King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and the oldest daughter of former King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

乌汶叻公主此举打破了泰国长期以来的一项传统——皇族不涉政。她是泰国现任国王玛哈·哇集拉隆功的姐姐，也是前国王普密蓬·阿杜德的长女。

On Friday, King Maha criticized his sister’s action. He said it “conflicts with the country’s traditions, customs and culture.”

周五，国王玛哈批评了姐姐的这一举动。他表示，这一举动与泰国传统、习俗和文化都有冲突。

The 67-year-old princess was nominated Friday by the opposition Thai Raksa Chart Party. The party is linked to former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra. Each had served as Thailand’s prime minister until they were ousted.

67岁的乌汶叻公主周五得到了反对派泰护国党的提名。泰护国党与前泰国领导人他信·西瓦那以及英拉·西瓦那存在联系。后两者都曾担任过泰国总理，后来被扫地下台。

The Thai Raksa Chart Party was launched in November by relatives and supporters of the Shinawatras. Parties linked to the Shinawatras have won every Thai election in recent years.

泰护国党去年11月由是由西瓦那家族的亲属以及支持者创立。与西瓦那家族有关的党派近年来各场选举未尝败绩。

The family still remains popular in many areas, especially in the rural northeastern provinces.

其家族在多个地区始终备受欢迎，尤其是在东北部各农业省份。

Princess Ubolratana currently does not have the same official standing in Thailand as other members of the royal family. She had to give up her highest royal titles more than 40 years ago when she married an American man and moved to the United States. However, she is still very popular in Thailand and is commonly called and treated as a princess.

乌汶叻公主目前在泰国的官方地位与其他皇室家族成员不同。40年前，她不得已放弃了最高王室头衔，嫁给了一名美国男子，随后移居美国。不过，她在泰国依然备受欢迎，在民众的嘴上和心里，她都依然是公主。

Because Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, the king and other royal family members are not supposed to get directly involved in politics. Traditionally, Thailand’s royal family has had close ties to the military.

因为泰国采用君主立宪制，所以国王等皇室成员不应该直接涉政。历史上的泰国皇室都与军方过从甚密。

Princess Ubolratana confirmed her decision to run in a message on Instagram, saying she desires to “lead the country to prosperity.”

乌汶叻公主确认了自己竞选的决定，为此发了Ins，称自己愿意引领泰国走向繁荣。

Thailand’s current prime minister is Prayuth Chan-o-cha. He is a former army chief who led the 2014 military coup that ousted the country’s last elected government, led by Yingluck Shinawatra.

泰国现任总理是巴育·詹欧差，他此前是前陆军总司令，曾于2014年领导了军事政变，驱逐了泰国上一任通过选举推选的政府，该政府由英拉领导。

Prayuth also accepted on Friday the nomination as a candidate for prime minister from his military-backed party. He has been considered the front-runner for the March 24 elections. Observers say this is because his government has made changes to the constitution and election rules that make it difficult for political parties without military backing to win.

巴育也于周五接受了自己作为总理候选人的提名，推举他的是他所在的由军方支持的党派。外界认为他是3月24日大选的领跑者。多位观察家表示，这是因为其政府做出了数项变革，有对宪法的变革，也有对选举规则的变革。这些变革让没有军方支持的政党很难获胜。

Some political experts say Ubolratana’s entry could greatly change the campaign because she is a different kind of candidate. The Thai royal family enjoys a very high level of popularity and respect among the public. Thailand also enforces strict laws banning criticism of the king or other royal family members.

一些政治类专家表示，乌汶叻公主的参选会极大改变竞选格局，因为乌汶叻公主与其他候选人身份不同。泰国皇室一向备受民众欢迎和尊重。泰国也实行了严苛的法律，禁止民众批评国王等皇室成员。

Allen Hicken is a political scientist at the University of Michigan who specializes in Southeast Asian studies. He called the decision a “game changer” for the race. “In the event Thaksin-aligned parties win the election, it makes it very difficult for the military and royalists to contest, protest, or seek to overturn the result,” Hicken said.

艾伦·希肯是密歇根大学的政治学家，专门研究东南亚政治学。他认为乌汶叻公主参选的决定会改变竞选格局。一旦与他信联盟的政党赢得大选，军方和皇室成员就很难争辩、抗议或者推翻结果了，艾伦·希肯如是说道。

Words in This Story

royal – adj. of or relating to a king or queen

title – n. name that describes someone’s position or job

constitutional monarchy – n. system of government in which a country is ruled by a king and queen whose power is limited by a constitution

prosperity – n. the state of being successful usually by making a lot of money

contest – v. to say formally something is wrong or unfair and should be changed