2006年VOA标准英语-Mexicans Brace for Clash in Congress During Pre

By Greg Flakus
Mexico City
30 November 2006

In Mexico, a standoff between rival parties continues in the lower house of the congress, which is to be the site of the presidential inauguration¹ on Friday. Some Latin American leaders have canceled trips to attend the event, citing concerns over security. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Mexico City, a violent incident in the congress during the inauguration ceremony could represent a huge setback² for Mexican democracy and the country's image in the world.

 
Mexican legislators fight in Congress (28 Nov 2006)
It's the sound of Mexican politics today. In the hall where verbal debate and parliamentary procedure should prevail, there has been pushing, punching and shouting.

The standoff began Tuesday, when members of the ruling National Action Party, known as the PAN, took control of the main platform where the new president traditionally takes the oath of office.

They did this after repeated threats from members of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, or PRD, and other leftist parties, to block President-elect Felipe Calderon from taking office.

 
Calderon placard at a demonstration³ in Mexico City
In the July election, Calderon, of the PAN, won by less than half a percentage point over Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, of the PRD, who immediately condemned⁴ the election as fraudulent, and began a series of public demonstrations⁵ attended by tens-of-thousands of supporters. He has since declared himself the legitimate⁶ president, and chosen a shadow Cabinet.

Outgoing President Vicente Fox has made no secret of his disdain⁷ for Lopez Obrador, and, in one of his last public statements before leaving office Friday, he condemned the PRD actions as an embarrassment⁸ for Mexico.

He said the situation in the House of Deputies was shameful⁹ and foolish, given that more than 85 percent of Mexicans in recent polls back Felipe Calderon as the legal president-elect, and reject Lopez Obrador as what Fox called "the legitimate president."

 
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador 
But the drop in popularity shown in the polls is of little concern to Lopez Obrador. A top U.S. academic expert on Mexico, George Grayson, of the College of William and Mary, says the losing candidate considers himself a messiah with a historic mission.

"Lopez Obrador believes that the system is rotten to the core, and he will move continually around the country in what, for him, is a moral crusade," he said. "So, I think, it is incumbent¹⁰ on the next chief executive to demonstrate to the poor of the country, who represent Lopez Obrador's major constituency, that the new administration is sensitive to their needs, and there need to be specific projects that are targeted to uplift the downtrodden."

But, in a VOA interview, Mexico City-based political analyst¹¹ Ana Maria Salazar, worries that Calderon may not be able to accomplish anything, given the divisions in congress evidenced by this week's violent clashes.

 
Ana Maria Salazar 
"Friday is going to be a very important day, because it is going to give us a sense of the ability, or the inability of the president and the different parties to be able to resolve conflict," she said. "It is going to give us a sense of whether there is going to be any opportunity for negotiations¹² among the political parties in Mexico."

Salazar says a lot depends on the Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as the PRI, which controlled Mexico for more than 70 years before being unseated by President Fox six years ago. The PRI, which has fallen into third place as an electoral force, can now exert great power in congress by swinging its votes to either the PAN or the PRD.

But open acrimony in congress could make even normal voting procedures difficult, says Salazar, and there is much to be done.

"Next week, the Mexican congress, the lower house, the diputados [deputies], have to start negotiating next year's budget," she said. "It is very hard to imagine how they are going to do it, considering what has happened in the last couple of days."

 
Felipe Calderon holds up a newspaper with headline saying 'YES, Calderon, elected unanimously,' 5 Sept 2006
Ana Maria Salazar and other commentators¹³ here in Mexico believe the leftist attempts to block the inauguration of Felipe Calderon will fail. But an attempt by leftist lawmakers to physically¹⁴ disrupt the ceremony will produce embarrassing images beamed around the world, diminishing Mexico's hard-won position as an up-and-coming democracy. In addition, many much needed reforms are likely to languish¹⁵ in congress, while President Calderon struggles to establish his authority.

1 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

2 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

7 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

8 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

9 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

10 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。

11 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。

12 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

13 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

15 languish   

vi.变得衰弱无力，失去活力，（植物等）凋萎

参考例句：

• Without the founder's drive and direction,the company gradually languished.没有了创始人的斗志与指引，公司逐渐走向没落。
• New products languish on the drawing board.新产品在计划阶段即告失败。