VOA常速英语2007年-OSCE Condemns Uzbekistan Presidential Poll

By Stefan Bos
Budapest
24 December 2007

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has criticized Sunday's presidential election in Uzbekistan for failing to meet basic democratic standards. The criticism came as the Central Election Commission announced that Uzbekistan's autocratic President Islam Karimov won another seven-year term by a landslide¹. Stefan Bos reports for VOA from Budapest.

Election officials say the 69-year old president Karimov received support from nearly nine out of 10 voters, but international monitors say the poll was not conducted fairly.

OSCE spokeswoman Urdur Gunnarsdottir, who monitored the poll in the capital Tashkent, tells VOA that her organization believes Sunday's ballot² failed to meet basic democratic standards.

"The conclusion was that this elections did not live up to the OSCE commitments for democratic elections," said Gunnarsdottir. "Maybe to summarize: It was a very strictly³ controlled political environment."

The OSCE spokeswoman noted⁴ that President Karimov ran against candidates who "publicly endorsed⁵ the incumbent⁶ president."

In addition independent media and political parties have been banned giving a further advantage to President Karimov, who has ruled the isolated⁷ central Asian state since gaining independence from the Soviet⁸ Union in 1991.

 

Spokeswoman Gunnarsdottir says another problem was that security forces almost watched over the shoulders of voters in polling stations Sunday, while officials apparently⁹ manipulated the ballots¹⁰.

"There was a high number of police and other security personnel in the polling stations," said Gunnarsdottir. "And, during [the vote] count, there were procedural problems and cases of officials adjusting the figures."

 

She adds that the OSCE also questions the unusually high voter turnout of over 90 percent.

Uzbekistan's Central Election Commission has denied the charges saying no fraud claims have been reported. It also won support from the observer mission of the Russian-dominated Commonwealth¹¹ of Independent States (CIS) made up of former Soviet republics.

Advocacy groups and Western diplomats¹² say most of President Karimov's opponents have been sent to jail or into exile and there are believed to be thousands of political and religious prisoners.

Mr. Karimov has maintained a hostile stance toward the West. He threw out several foreign media organizations and most aid groups, and ordered the shutdown of an American air base two years ago following Western criticism of his government's treatment of dissidents.

 

1 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

2 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。

3 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

4 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。

5 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

7 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 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》

11 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

12 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》