VOA常速英语2007-Ruling Party Wins Majority in Togo

By Selah Hennessy
Dakar
18 October 2007

Preliminary legislative¹ election results in Togo show the long-time ruling party winning an absolute majority out of 81 seats. But the largest opposition² party, the Union of Forces for Change, vows³ to dispute the early results, saying polling problems cheated them out of votes. Selah Hennessy reports from the VOA West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.

Official results say the ruling Rally of the Togolese People has so far won 49 seats.

The main opposition, Union of Forces for Change, has 21. Another opposition party, the Action Committee for Renewal⁴, has four.

Results for seven remaining seats have yet to be announced.

Esso Solitioki, the secretary for the ruling party, says this is a triumph for the Togolese people. He says they have shown their support for a strong and responsible party.

He says elected representatives will work towards reconciling all Togolese, and towards developing new projects that will set Togo on the path of reconstruction⁵, after years of unrest and poverty.

But opposition parties say the ruling party must first confront serious errors in the election process.

Long-exiled Gilchrist Olympio, the son of Togo's first president, leads the opposition Union of Forces for Change. He says this election has no statistical⁶ value, because thousands of opposition votes were uncounted.

He says his party, which has boycotted⁷ elections for more than a decade, will organize peaceful marches to call attention to problems with the electoral process.

"From the actual electoral system I do not think it is too different from what we have known - the same level of fraud, the same level of wrong results being broadcast," he said.

But he says the election has seen some improvements on previous ones.

"The only positive thing we find is there has been no violence, there has been virtually no bloodshed, so from that point of view it has been interesting," he said.

Olympio says the electoral process in Togo still has a long way to go.

"Do not forget. The same people, the same family, the same structure has been in power for the last 40 years. And it is not very easy to tell a million-ton tanker⁸ to turn over night," he said.

International observers, including the European Union, have said the election was largely free and fair.

Togolese journalist Modeste Messavussu says reactions to the results have been mixed, but the streets of Togo's capital, Lome, are quiet.

Noel Aze says he is happy the ruling party won the majority of seats because they will give more power to Togo's president, Faure Gnassingbe.

"I feel happy because we want to help the party to get up the president to try and make the projects he wants to do in Togo because we know that is the one who can save us," he said.

But Eves Baco, a Union of Forces for Change supporter, says the ruling party has rushed claiming victory and is already showing signs of aggression⁹.

"At present the soldiers are on the road, they say they are republicans - they do not have the right to send the soldiers on the main road to disturb the public," he says.

Turn-out for the election was high, with about 85 percent of eligible¹⁰ voters casting a ballot¹¹.

The ruling party was founded by former president Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled the country for 38 years. His son, current president Faure Gnassingbe, took power after elections in 2005.

Aid to Togo has been limited since 1993 due to the country's poor political record. The European Union has said it will restore full aid to the country if the elections are deemed free and fair.

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 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。

3 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

4 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

5 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

6 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

7 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

8 tanker   

n.油轮

参考例句：

• The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
• Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。

9 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

10 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

11 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。