2007年VOA标准英语-Nigerians Vote, Nervously Await Results

By Nico Colombant
Abuja
21 April 2007

Voters in Africa's most populous¹ country, Nigeria, have gone to the polls for a presidential and legislative² election in sizable numbers, and now nervously³ await results.  Many said they did not have much faith in the fairness of the system, but felt that it was still important to vote.  VOA's Nico Colombant reports from the capital Abuja.

Outside polling centers, voters stayed around and listened to radios to get the latest news from across the vast country, hoping the election would be more successful than last week's violence- and fraud-filled state election.

Voting got under way late, with new ballot⁴ papers that only included the signs of each party, and not the names or pictures of the candidates.  These had to be reprinted following a Supreme⁵ Court decision this week, reinstating a previously⁶ banned candidate.

A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Abuja, Nigeria

One voter says this confused many people. He blamed election authorities for not informing citizens about the change.

"That is why [they] should have had the agencies do their job," he said.  "But it is too late. Some people do not know all the symbols, irrespective of the time constraint⁷. I feel they should post out these things, the symbols of all the political parties, so people should know."

The two main candidates voted in the northern Katsina state where they are from.

Ruling party candidate Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was represented by an umbrella.

He said he was confident he would win, but that if he failed, he would accept the results.

Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari was represented by corn.

The voting ballots⁸ had to be reprinted to include controversial vice⁹ president and opposition¹⁰ candidate Atiku Abubakar.  Just days before the election, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that Abubakar be added to the ballot.  He was represented by a broom.

One of his supporters was happy he could tick off next to the broom symbol, and hoped the court system would continue to keep election authorities in line.

"I believe they are going to do a good job because the judiciary has been intervening, because what has been happening last Saturday, I believe there will be a difference today," he said.  "[The] candidate which I like to vote for is Atiku Abubakar.  The broom is to sweep out corruption¹¹ and the bad governments out of this country."

Women cast their votes in Abuja, Nigeria

One woman said she hoped her vote would count, and that the Independent National Election Commission, known as INEC, would do a good job.

"We have come out to vote," she said.  "This is an election for me. I have elected [voted] now it is left for the INEC to count and of course announce the president-elect.  We have done the election, for me I know it is election, it is not selection."

Election officials say they may announce final results as early as Monday.  Efforts by outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo to change the constitution and seek a third term in office were denied by Nigeria's parliament.

Mr. Obasanjo is to hand over power to the winner next month, in what is being billed as the first civilian-to-civilian handover in Nigeria since independence in 1960.  While voting, President Obasanjo said the ruling party had no reason to tamper¹² with results.

A European Union observer team said it was very concerned by the late start of voting and missing ballot papers for legislative elections in many areas, and missing serial¹³ numbers on many of the ballot papers that did turn up.

In the early morning hours, police said a truck laden¹⁴ with explosives was rolled down a hill near election headquarters in the capital, but crashed into a poll and failed to explode.

1 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。

2 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。

3 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

4 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。

5 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。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

8 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》

9 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 tamper   

v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• Do not tamper with other's business.不要干预别人的事。
• They had strict orders not to tamper with the customs of the minorities.他们得到命令严禁干涉少数民族的风俗习惯。

13 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

14 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。