VOA常速英语2007-Campaigning Ends Ahead of Togo Election

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
13 October 2007

Campaigning has ended for Togo's legislative¹ elections, the first serious challenge to the ruling party's more than four-decade grip on power. Party leaders say Sunday's election can change Togo's reputation as an autocratic state, but only if voters believe in it. Phuong Tran has more from VOA's West Africa bureau in Dakar.

Patrick Lawson, vice² president of the main opposition³ party, Union of Forces for Change (UFC), says he is worried that election violence in the past could have a negative impact on voter turnout this Sunday.

Ever since Togo introduced multiparty elections in the early 1990s, voting has been marred⁴ by violence and accusations⁵ of vote-rigging.

Most recently, the 2005 presidential election ended in security crackdowns that sent tens of thousands fleeing.

Lawson says he hopes UFC supporters will come out and vote on Sunday. He adds he still has concerns about election fraud.

UFC has fought for weeks to have poll workers sign each ballot⁶ that is cast in order to prevent cheating.

Leaders from the ruling party, Rally for the Togolese People, say signatures are unnecessary, confusing, and may, in themselves, lead to fraud.

Ruling party spokesman, Claude Bammante, dismisses the opposition's concerns.

He says people are traumatized by past violence and are searching for excuses to claim fraud. He says the ruling party is as committed as the opposition to free and fair elections.

The National Electoral Commission has ruled that each ballot must be stamped.

Opposition leader Lawson says in order to proceed with the already delayed election, UFC accepted the compromise.

Lawson says if UFC insisted on ballot signatures so close to election day, the party risked disrupting the vote. He says the party is now focused on ensuring the ballots⁷ are stamped.

Togo's main donor⁸, the European Union, cut off assistance in 1993 partly because of the country's poor human rights record. 

Aid was partially⁹ restored three years ago. But it is has not been able to solve Togo's energy problems, poor health and education services, or the failing production of phosphate and cotton.

Citizens make on average less than $400 a year. More than half live in poverty.

The European Union and other major donors¹⁰ have said they will consider investing more only if the country conducts free and fair elections.

More than three thousand election monitors have been deployed¹¹ in Togo's most closely watched multi-party election since the first one was held in 1993. 

More than 2,000 candidates from 32 parties are competing for 81 legislative positions.

1 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 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。

4 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

5 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

6 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。

7 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

9 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

10 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。