2007年VOA标准英语-Senegalese Opposition Figure Rejoins President'

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
23 January 2007

Journalists, politicians and observers in Senegal are expressing surprise at the announcement that popular opposition¹ figure, former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck, is rejoining the camp of President Abdoulaye Wade². But they differ on what the move will mean for a presidential election scheduled to take place next month, for which Mr. Wade is the favorite. Naomi Schwarz reports from Dakar.

 
Abdoulaye Wade (Jan 2006)
President Wade likened his role to that of a father bringing wayward sons back into his family, when he announced Monday that Idrissa Seck, his recently jailed rival, would rejoin the ruling Senegalese Democratic Party.

But others thought the reconciliation³, which comes only weeks before presidential polls are set to open, was unexpected.

It is a huge surprise, said Alassane Diop, a prominent local journalist. Nobody thought that Idrissa Seck and Abdoulaye Wade were going to sit together and reconcile, he says.

Seck, who had been running against Mr. Wade in the presidential election, had also announced the creation of a new party. He is now expected to drop out of the race. This will help Wade, says Diop.

If he comes back to work with Wade, he says, it is sure to give more strength to Wade's candidacy.

 
Former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck was an opposition presidential candidate in Senegal
Seck served as prime minister until Mr. Wade fired him in 2004, under speculation⁴ that he was trying to eliminate a popular political rival.

Seck later served more than six months in jail, in connection with charges of embezzlement⁵ and threatening state security. He has denied the allegations, and he was released in February last year.

Moustapha Fall Tche, the spokesman for the opposition coalition⁶, the People's Coalition for Alternative, known as CPA, says Seck's move was not entirely⁷ unexpected, but he says that Seck's supporters will not follow him to Mr. Wade's party.

"It is not because they like Idrissa Seck," he says. "They are first of all against Abdoulaye Wade."

He says that even members of Seck's Rewmi party have been talking to the CPA about staying in the opposition.

Some politicians called him a traitor⁸. One newspaper headline said Seck's reversal was what it called "hallucinating." Other commentators⁹ speculated that Seck had been promised to become Mr. Wade's eventual¹⁰ successor.

Mr. Wade, known for his liberal politics, is officially listed as 80, but many politicians believe he is 84. He was elected in 2000 ending more than four decades of post-independence Socialist¹¹ party rule.

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 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

3 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

4 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

5 embezzlement   

n.盗用，贪污

参考例句：

• He was accused of graft and embezzlement and was chained and thrown into prison.他因被指控贪污盗窃而锒铛入狱。
• The judge sent him to prison for embezzlement of funds.法官因他盗用公款将其送入监牢。

6 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。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 traitor   

n.叛徒，卖国贼

参考例句：

• The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
• He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。

9 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》

10 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

11 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。