2006年VOA标准英语-Congo Faces Challenges in Holding First Democra

By Catherine Maddux
Washington
29 June 2006

The Democratic Republic of Congo is beginning campaigning for the first democratic elections in over 40 years. The difficulties the nation faces in staging such an election are evident in the fact that the date has been pushed back several times over the past year. VOA's Catherine Maddux examines how prepared the vast, war-scarred nation is to hold the ballot¹ on July 30.

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To get a sense of the scale of what Congo is facing in a month's time, listen to how William Lacy Swing, the United Nation's special representative for the central African country, describes the poll.

William Lacy Swing, center, talks to army representatives   
  
"These are the largest elections that the United Nation's has ever assisted, by far," he explains. "There are 53,000 voting sites, 300,000 election workers to be trained, more than 9,000 candidates for 500 parliamentary seats and 33 candidates for president."

Congo-based reporter David Lewis says, despite the obvious difficulties of setting up a vote after years of ethnic² violence and a five-year war that devastated³ the country, preparations are clearly under way.

"Ballot papers have started arriving, other electoral material has started arriving, and it is being distributed around the country. But this is a huge task," he notes. "It is a vast country. Roads scarcely exist outside any of the cities. And, in some parts, those organizing the elections have to deal with militias⁴ and rebels that are still operating in vast parts of the country. "

By that, Lewis means the restive⁵ eastern part of the country, which has been insecure since the genocide in neighboring Rwanda 12 years ago. That event sparked violence among rival ethnic groups and the arrival of thousands of armed rebel Hutus, who participated in the massacres⁶.

"Eastern Congo is still awash with various different rebel groups and militias that are still active and have resisted the peace process," he explains. "In [the] Ituri [region], for example, it is still too dangerous for aid workers to travel very far outside the regional capital, Bunia. So, how they are going to actually organize elections remains⁷ to be seen. Katanga is another part of the Congo where there are Mayi Mayi militias operating. They have prevented electoral commission officials from traveling to some parts. And, it will be interesting to see if they also prevent voters from going to the polls on July 30. "

Belgian troops prepare tents at  new EUFOR base at N'Dolo Airbase, Kinshasa   
  
Luckily, Congo will not conduct these historic elections without massive international support.

"The support of the international community for the Congolese transitional process is the strongest since independence in 1960," says U.N. Representative William Swing.

There are about 17,000 United Nations troops in the country, and the European Union is sending 2,000 soldiers to provide security during the balloting⁸. The elections will be observed by members of the Carter Center, the European Union, South Africa and the Southern African Development Community. 

Government party supporters hold a poster of President Joseph Kabila  
  
But political problems remain. The largest and most important opposition⁹ group, The Union for Democracy and Social Progress party, led by veteran politician Etienne Tshisekedi, is boycotting¹¹ the vote, claiming irregularities have taken place already, including a lack of transparency in setting up the vote.

Polls indicate the current transitional president, 35-year-old Joseph Kabila, is likely to overwhelmingly win a first round of voting.

But the U.N.'s William Swing says, even with all the challenges that lie ahead, there is reason to be encouraged. He points to last year's referendum on a new constitution.

"More than anything else, it is the ardent¹² desire of the Congolese people to have these elections," he says. "Why do I say that? These are people, many of whom walked 30 to 40 kilometers, many of them young women with a baby on their back, older people, who might have voted in 1960, or might not have. But two-thirds of that nearly 26 million went out on a single day and voted 84 percent for the constitution - a piece of paper most had never seen, and very few had ever read."

And freelance reporter David Lewis adds that the independent electoral commission and the international community are determined¹³ that parliamentary and presidential elections will take place as planned on July 30, no matter if violence, logistical difficulties or even the opposition boycott¹⁰ create serious problems for voters.

1 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。

2 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

3 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

4 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

5 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

6 massacres   

大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败

参考例句：

• The time is past for guns and killings and massacres. 动不动就用枪、动不动就杀、大规模屠杀的时代已经过去了。 来自教父部分
• Numberless recent massacres were still vivid in their recollection. 近来那些不可胜数的屠杀，在他们的头脑中记忆犹新。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

11 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

12 ardent   

adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的

参考例句：

• He's an ardent supporter of the local football team.他是本地足球队的热情支持者。
• Ardent expectations were held by his parents for his college career.他父母对他的大学学习抱着殷切的期望。

13 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。