欧洲－阿塞拜疆在质疑声中准备召开议会选举

Azerbaijan Prepares to Hold Critical

Parliamentary Elections

阿塞拜疆在质疑声中准备召开议会选举

 

Azerbaijan's political opposition¹ accuses incumbent² President Ilham Aliyev's government of preparing to rig the poll, while the government accuses the opposition of trying to spark a political revolution.

 

President Aliyev's office says the country's political opposition has been accusing Azeri authorities of vote rigging for at least 12 years, but adds the opposition has failed to provide any substantive³ proof of the claims. The opposition says the record speaks for itself, with independent and western election monitors never once certifying⁴ an election in Azerbaijan as free and fair.

 

Against that backdrop, the campaign period ahead of the November 6 parliamentary elections has been fraught⁵ with tension. Over the past month, the government has used force to put down near weekly opposition protests calling for free and fair elections. Hundreds of government critics have been detained.

 

But government authorities are not only exerting pressure on the opposition. President Aliyev's government has also taken the unusual step of purging⁶ at least eight members of his own cabinet within weeks of the election, accusing them of working with the opposition to stage a coup⁷.

 

Leading analyst⁸ Irina Kobrinskaya at the Moscow-based Institute of Europe, says the purges⁹ are more about President Aliyev's insecurities and weakness, than about any real threat to the government.

 

Irina Kobrinskaya: Any dismissals of this kind before the elections means that the power wants to stabilize¹⁰ itself, to get rid of people who are dangerous, at least from the point of view of the president.

 

Cabinet changes are a rarity for Azerbaijan, whose ruling structure has changed little since President Aliyev took over from his father in 2003. That was the last national vote in the country and it ended in days of protests and hundreds of arrests.

 

Analyst Kobrinskaya says the key thing needed now is stability. But she adds she is not optimistic, given the track record of democratic elections in Muslim countries.

 

Irina Kobrinskaya: ...the experience of Iraq, the experience of Uzbekistan -- there were no elections, but there was this unrest in Andijan -- they show that any insertion of democracy does not lead straight-forwardly to peace and democracy and welfare in the countries because they are poor and, well, the opposition there is in many respects, is not democratic.

 

All the same, Ms. Kobrinskaya says President Aliyev is under strong pressure from Europe and the United States to ensure a democratic vote.

 

President Aliyev says fairness is assured, given that more than 2,000 candidates have registered to compete for 125 seats in parliament and he boasts that in some districts, dozens of names are on the ballot¹¹.

 

Not everyone is convinced. This week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it would be "impossible" to hold a free and fair parliamentary election in Azerbaijan due to violence and intimidation¹² of the opposition. HRW also expressed real concerns about the possibility of a violent crack-down against the opposition, if its members try to stage massive street protests after the election in the event of fraud.

 

The election is being watched closely in the West as Azerbaijan is a country of particular strategic significance, wedged between Russia and the Middle East, as well as one with considerable oil interests. As for investors¹³, they'll be watching to see that the election provides a result that will ensure security in the Caspian region, not only for future investments, but for the long-anticipated opening of a multi-billion dollar U.S.-backed oil pipeline¹⁴ later this year.

 

Lisa McAdams for VOA news, Baku, Azerbaijan.

 

注释：

incumbent [in5kQmbEnt] adj. 在职的，现任的

substantive [5sQbstEntiv] adj. 真实的，真实存在的

backdrop [5bAkdrRp] n. （事件的）背景

fraught [frC:t] adj. 充满……的

coup [ku:] n. 出乎意料的行动；政变

rarity [5rZEriti] n. 稀有

intimidation [in7timi5deiFEn] n. 胁迫

fraud [frC:d] n. 欺骗，欺诈行为

1 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。

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 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

4 certifying   

（尤指书面）证明( certify的现在分词 )； 发证书给…； 证明（某人）患有精神病； 颁发（或授予）专业合格证书

参考例句：

• Signed Commercial in quintuplicate, certifying merchandise to be of Chinese origin. 签署商业发票一式五份，证明产品的原产地为中国。
• Other documents certifying the truthfulness of the contents of the advertisements. （三）确认广告内容真实性的其他证明文件。

5 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

6 purging   

清洗； 清除； 净化； 洗炉

参考例句：

• You learned the dry-mouthed, fear-purged, purging ecstasy of battle. 你体会到战斗中那种使人嘴巴发干的，战胜了恐惧并排除其他杂念的狂喜。
• Purging databases, configuring, and making other exceptional requests might fall into this category. 比如清空数据库、配置，以及其他特别的请求等都属于这个类别。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

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。

9 purges   

清除异己( purge的名词复数 )； 整肃（行动）； 清洗； 泻药

参考例句：

• Mandelshtam perished in the purges of the 1930s, Akhmatova remained silent. 曼杰利什坦姆在30年代的清洗中死去，阿赫玛托娃也销声匿迹。
• He purges his subconscious and meditates only on God. 他净化他的潜意识且只思念上帝。

10 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

11 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

12 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

13 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

14 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。