VOA常速英语2007年-Opposition Questions Fairness of Russian Parlia

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
27 November 2007

Voters in Russia go to the polls Sunday in a parliamentary election that follows a campaign whose fairness is being called into question.  VOA Moscow correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports.

This television campaign ad says Vladimir Putin's Russia is enjoying success - political, economic, cultural, scientific, and athletic¹.  "We are respected and big victories lie ahead", says the clip, if voters select Mr. Putin's United Russia Party.

His supporters say victory is needed to carry out the so-called Putin Plan.  But surveys indicate most Russians do not know what the plan is and the United Russian campaign does not explain it.

The president's opponents say the Putin Plan is to maintain power.  Boris Nemtsov is a parliamentary candidate from the Union of Right Forces.

The opposition² activist³ says the plan leads to abuse of power, lawlessness, bureaucracy, and uncontrolled corruption⁴.  Nemtsov asks why Mr. Putin deserves support, noting that under his rule Russia fell to 142nd place in global corruption ratings, alongside Zimbabwe, Sierra-Leone, and Niger.

Mr. Putin's name tops the United Russia Party list, although he is not a candidate.  Party members say the Kremlin leader deserves credit for improving the Russian economy. 

Critics counter that Russia, an oil exporter, has benefited from a steep rise in global energy prices and could suffer a setback⁵ if prices fall.  Inflation is already a problem.

But the opposition parties have been hampered⁶ in getting their message out, because they are denied access to the state television and activists⁷ accuse the government of confiscating⁸ printed campaign literature.

This week, opposition leader, and former chess grand champion, Garry Kasparov is to serve a five-day jail sentence for participating in an illegal demonstration⁹.  He and scores of opposition activists were arrested Saturday.

The country's Central Election Commission has barred Kasparov's opposition coalition¹⁰, The Other Russia, from fielding candidates in the election.

Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which monitors balloting¹¹ and the freedom of opposition forces in 56 member countries, has declined to oversee¹² the election.  It says Russian authorities did not issue visas for observers in a timely manner.   Mr. Putin has blamed the U.S. State Department for engineering the decision in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy¹³ of the election.

Whether Sunday's election in Russia is seen as legitimate¹⁴ remains¹⁵ to be seen.  But observers say Mr. Putin's United Russia has enjoyed an overwhelming campaign advantage and virtually no one doubts the party will gain a substantial majority of parliament seats.

1 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

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 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

6 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 confiscating   

没收（confiscate的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• There was Mame by my side confiscating my intellects and attention. 有玛米坐在我身边，害得我心不在焉。
• Intimidate book sellers by confiscating books deemed unfavourable to the Barisan government. 充公被视为对国阵不利的书籍，威胁书商。

9 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

10 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。

11 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

12 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

13 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

14 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

15 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。