2007年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Opposition Cry Foul Over Pre-Poll Holi

By Sarah Simpson
Lagos, Nigeria
12 April 2007

In Nigeria, a last-minute decision by the government to declare Thursday and Friday national holidays is forcing a delay in a crucial court ruling on the upcoming presidential election. The court is deciding whether Nigeria's vice¹ president and top opposition² politician, Atiku Abubakar, can keep his name on the ballot³ sheet for the presidential polls. Abubakar's camp is crying foul⁴. Sarah Simpson reports for VOA from Lagos.

The Nigerian government says it declared Thursday and Friday public holidays so that voters can travel home to vote in Saturday's state elections.

Atiku Abubakar

Opposition politicians say that the holidays have been called to delay a crucial court ruling on whether Vice President Atiku Abubakar can run as a candidate in presidential elections, to be held a week later.

Presidential polls on April 21 are set to be a milestone⁵ in Nigeria's troubled history, marking the first time that power will pass from one civilian⁶ elected head of state to another.

The Supreme⁷ Court, the highest court in Nigeria, was scheduled to making a ruling Thursday on whether Abubakar could run the election.

But that date has been put back until Monday - just five days before election day - as a result of the last minute holiday announcement.

Abubakar's spokesman, Garba Shehu, said that the holiday announcement has compromised voting before a ballot has been cast.

"This is another form of rigging - rigging by other means," Shehu said. "They are placing us at a disadvantage and they are placing their own party, the PDP, an unfair advantage."

After some initial confusion, banks opened for business as usual Thursday and street traders plied⁸ their wares⁹ regardless of the holiday announcement.

Nigeria is Africa's most populous¹⁰ country and largest oil exporter. For many years the country was synonymous with coups¹¹ and military regimes, until the restoration of civilian rule in 1999.

1 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。

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 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。

4 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

5 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 plied   

v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意

参考例句：

• They plied me with questions about my visit to England. 他们不断地询问我的英国之行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They plied us with tea and cakes. 他们一个劲儿地让我们喝茶、吃糕饼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 wares   

n. 货物, 商品

参考例句：

• They sold their wares at half-price. 他们的货品是半价出售的。
• The peddler was crying up his wares. 小贩极力夸耀自己的货物。

10 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

11 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网