2006年VOA标准英语-Nigeria Registers Voters for 2007 Polls

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
25 October 2006

Some 60 million eligible¹ Nigerian voters are expected to visit 120,000 polling centers to register as Nigeria begins the long-awaited voters registration² exercise.  Some question marks have been raised about the exercise.

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Nigerians vote in local elections (2004 file photo)

The Independent National Electoral Commission has designated 120,000 polling units as registration points, but ordered only 33,000 electronic voting machines.

This means, several registration centers may not have the machines to register voters and have to wait for the voting to be completed in other areas before they can take their turn.
 
The electoral commission says the electronic registration of voters for the first time in Nigeria could be the solution to problems associated with voters registration in Nigeria, such as multiple registration.
 
Oye Bamiji of the electoral commission says Nigeria now stands a very good chance of compiling a more credible³ voters' register.
 
"The arrangement for now, is that we are using a different device which would check double registration," he said.  "You can only register in a place and this machine we are using; it gives all the bio-data of an individual. So, it is not even convenient for an individual to go round and say he will register in another place. The machine will capture the picture, capture the fingerprint⁴ and all other data needed, in terms of age, sex, address and occupation. So, we believe the arrangement is far better than the previous method. We have a machine for four units for a period of 14 days."

Many Nigerians have questioned the commission's ability to conduct free and fair elections. There is a lot of concern that voters registration is only now happening, less than six months to crucial election next April.
 
Abuja-based lawyer, Maxi Okwu, who is also national chairman of a coalition⁵ of 22 opposition⁶ parties known as the Patriotic⁷ Alliance, says the machines could malfunction⁸ and that could put the elections at risk.

"With this voter re-registration, it appears something is lurking," he said.  "One is that the machines seem to be collapsing⁹ all over the place that is what I get in the media. They are not capturing the date as fast as they ought to, and the machines seem not to be coping with the pressure of work. I hope that they do everything possible to see that the machines are in place as promised. Because if that exercise fails, that is the end of the whole exercise, we can't have elections."

About 60 million voters were registered in the last exercise in 2002. The electoral commission had rejected eighth million applications because of double registration and other irregularities.
 
To be eligible to register, each potential voter must be a Nigerian and be at least 18 years of age.
 
The 2007 elections would be the first time an elected president hands over to another. Nigeria, Africa's most populous¹⁰ country, returned to civil democracy in May, 1999 after decades of military rule.

1 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

2 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

3 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

4 fingerprint   

n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹

参考例句：

• The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
• The court heard evidence from a fingerprint expert.法院听取了指纹专家的证词。

5 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。

6 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。

7 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

8 malfunction   

vi.发生功能故障，发生故障，显示机能失常

参考例句：

• There must have been a computer malfunction.一定是出了电脑故障。
• Results have been delayed owing to a malfunction in the computer.由于电脑发生故障，计算结果推迟了。

9 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

10 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。