92岁马哈蒂尔赢得马来西亚大选 将成全球最高龄领导人

Malaysian Leader Becomes World’s Oldest at 92

Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad has returned to power as prime minister, becoming the world’s oldest elected leader.

Mahathir is 92 years old. He previously¹ ruled Malaysia for 22 years.

He led a group of opposition² parties that won a parliamentary election on Wednesday. Official results showed the opposition parties – called the Alliance of Hope – received more than the 112 seats required to win a majority in parliament.

Mahathir was sworn in Thursday by Malaysia’s king, Sultan Muhammad V.

The election ended 60 years of rule by the National Front coalition³. The party had led Malaysia since it became independent from Britain in 1957.

Former prime minister and National Front leader Najib Razak accepted defeat. In a press conference, he said he recognized “the verdict of the people.” He added that the National Front would “honor the principle of democracy in parliament.”

The National Front’s loss came after Najib became involved in a major corruption⁴ scandal. He also faced political problems for supporting new taxes that greatly affected⁵ poor Malaysians.

Mahathir told reporters he was ready to carry out major changes for Malaysia. He promised to cancel the unpopular goods and service tax approved in 2015. He said the government could also renegotiate terms of Chinese loans for infrastructure⁶ projects.

Mahathir ruled Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. He is credited with building a strong and lasting⁷ economy. But he was also known for taking some actions seen as undemocratic. These included silencing and imprisoning⁸ political opponents and influencing the country’s courts.

Mahathir said his government would not seek “revenge” against political opponents. However, he said officials would seek to bring back the rule of law and prosecute⁹ those who break it.

Supporters of Malaysia’s new government took to the streets of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, to celebrate the victory. Some stood on roadsides waving the white, blue and red flag of the opposition Alliance of Hope. Others sounded car horns while driving through the streets. One woman who was waving an opposition flag said, “We’ll have a better Malaysia now. Malaysia reborn!”

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

verdict – n. decision reached by a court or public opinion

principle – n. rule or belief that influence behavior

scandal – n. an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or legally wrong

infrastructure – n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for an area to operate

revenge – n. the act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something that hurt you?

horn – n. piece of equipment used to make a loud sound as a warning or signal

1 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

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 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

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 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

8 imprisoning   

v.下狱，监禁( imprison的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr Afwerki may disgust his compatriots by torturing and imprisoning his critics. Afwerki总统拷打和监禁他的反对者已经使的国人生厌。 来自互联网
• Proud and intelligent, it takes great pleasure and imprisoning enemies through psionic exploitation. 它骄傲并狡猾，非常喜欢囚禁敌人并剥夺他们的智力。 来自互联网

9 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？