2007年VOA标准英语-Kazakh President Abolishes Term Limits

By Lisa McAdams
Moscow
22 May 2007

Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed into law constitutional amendments¹ allowing him to stay in office, indefinitely. From Moscow, VOA's Lisa McAdams has more on the move, which the political opposition² denounces as undemocratic.

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev (Jan 2007)

In signing the amendments into law, Mr. Nazarbayev - who has led Kazakhstan since 1991 - secured his already-firm grip on power. The new legislation allows him to run again in 2012, if he so chooses, and to stay in office for an unlimited³ number of terms.

His eventual⁴ successors are not afforded the same right, but are barred from serving more than two consecutive⁵ terms - as Nazarbayev had been until this law was pushed through.

Government supporters say the law will ensure continued stability in the oil-rich nation. But, Kazakhstan's fragmented political opposition immediately denounced the move as undemocratic.

The director of the Heritage Foundation in Moscow, Yevgeni Volk, agrees. He says the new law cements a long-standing trend toward authoritarian⁶ rule under Mr. Nazarbayev and across Central Asia.

"Nazarbayev is following the path taken by many other leaders in Central Asia who really like power," said Volk. "They don't want to leave their office. They understand it really means not just their personal wealth, but their personal security. No one can really be guaranteed that in case of a change of power, they will be personally safe."

The set of reforms also strengthened parliament's powers, including giving lawmakers a greater say in picking the prime minister, but Volk doubts that will be enough to ease concerns in Europe and the West over Kazakhstan's democratic record.

Mr. Nazarbayev's rule has been marred⁷ by flawed elections and the slaying⁸ of two vocal⁹ opponents of the government.

Volk notes that the concerns, even before Tuesday's amendments were signed into law, threaten to derail Kazakhstan's bid to assume the rotating chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe in 2009.

"I believe that in this sense, Kazakhstan will not be a good example for other OSCE nations and to a great extent it will try to silence calls for democracy, individual freedoms, for human rights protection," said Volk. "And, in fact, I believe it will certainly limit the OSCE performance and its results [if approved]."

President Nazarbayev has said the reforms were undertaken to make Kazakhstan more democratic.

1 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

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 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

4 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

5 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

6 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

7 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

8 slaying   

杀戮。

参考例句：

• The man mimed the slaying of an enemy. 此人比手划脚地表演砍死一个敌人的情况。
• He is suspected of having been an accomplice in the slaying,butthey can't pin it on him. 他有嫌疑曾参与该杀人案，但他们找不到证据来指控他。

9 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。