2007年VOA标准英语-Ruling Party Expected to Dominate Gambian Parli

By Kari Barber
Dakar
25 January 2007

Gambians went to the polls Thursday to elect new members of parliament.  While independent candidates have made some ground, the ruling party is expected to maintain a strong hold on its power.  President Yahya Jammeh has been in power since a coup¹ in 1994 and has given little authority to the parliament. Kari Barber reports from our West Africa bureau in Dakar.

A greater number of independent candidates are vying² for seats in The Gambia's National Assembly than in recent elections.  Analysts⁴ say the candidates' participation⁵ has increased public interest in voting.

President Yahya Jammeh

Gambian journalist Tijan Janneh says formal opposition⁶ parties were weakened in the 2006 presidential election, in which Yahya Jammeh was easily re-elected.  Janneh says this allowed for the emergence⁷ of more independent candidates.

"They have been calling on the electorate⁸ to put aside the idea that the ruling party is going to sweep the polls," he noted⁹.  "They say, 'So let the people come out and vote.'  Actually that message has gone down very well with the electorate."

However, Janneh says he expects the ruling party to garner¹⁰ nearly all of the seats.

Abdoulaye Saine is a political science professor at Miami University in Ohio. Saine, originally from The Gambia, says he does not see real democracy at work in the country.

"Even though elections are being held, both the presidential and National Assembly elections, what we have in The Gambia today is a dictatorship," he said.  "One that is brutal¹¹ and one that does not subscribe¹² to the international norms of protecting human rights."

Saine says that even though many Gambians are unhappy with Mr. Jammeh who has vowed¹³ to stay in power for three more decades, they are likely to vote for well-entrenched incumbents¹⁴ who hold a lot of power in the regions.

Analyst³ Bob LaGamma with Washington D.C.-based Council for Community of Democracies says while elections offer opportunity for change and democratic growth, he does not expect The Gambia to benefit from the polls.

"Any election is an opportunity, but the groundwork has to be done to ensure that parties can compete fairly, that the media is open to the opposition, that civil society can play an energetic role and that there can be genuine competition," he said.

LaGamma says he does not think the current government, which in the past has been accused of harassing¹⁵ opposition figures and manipulating elections, is likely to allow a fair vote.

Results are expected to be announced by Friday.

1 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。

2 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

3 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。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

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 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

8 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

11 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

12 subscribe   

vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助

参考例句：

• I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
• The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。

13 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

14 incumbents   

教区牧师( incumbent的名词复数 )； 教会中的任职者

参考例句：

• In general, incumbents have a 94 percent chance of being reelected. 通常现任官员有94%的几率会再次当选。
• This arangement yields a wonderful gain to incumbents. 这种安排为在职人员提供了意外的得益。

15 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句