2007年VOA标准英语-Turkey's Ruling Party Scores Victory; Promises

By Sonja Pace
Istanbul
23 July 2007

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development party, AKP, has won a resounding¹ victory in general elections with a solid 47 percent, giving it about 340 of parliament's 550 seats. Still, the party is now reaching out to the opposition² as it prepares for its next political test - the election of the country's next president. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from Istanbul.

Supporters of the Justice and Development Party wave Turkish and party flags outside of the party headquarters in Ankara, Turkey, 22 July 2007

It was a time to celebrate as AKP supporters watched the results come in from around the country. In the end, the party received a lion's share of the vote.

The AKP ran on a more-of-the-same platform - more reforms, more economic gains, more private investment and more talks toward future membership in the European Union.

It had obvious appeal to voters and they came out in droves to support the idea.

Speaking after the AKP's election victory, party leader, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan relished³ the win, but also reached out to opponents.

Mr. Erdogan called the election a victory for democracy in Turkey. He said the party would work hard to carry out the duty voters had given it. "We will raise the democratic, secular⁴ republic to a higher level," he promised.

The promise to uphold secular principles is a very important issue to the opposition, which raised fears about the AKP's Islamist roots and the fact that its leaders are openly devout⁵ Muslims whose wives wear the traditional Islamic headscarf.

Sunday's elections were held early because of a constitutional crisis over who would become Turkey's next president. Mr. Erdogan nominated his foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, for the post. But that angered secularists, who said Gul's Islamist past and the fact that his wife covers her hair made him unacceptable for a post meant to safeguard the constitution and the country's secular tradition. Millions took to the streets to protest the Gul nomination⁶.

Ali Carkoglu, a political scientist at the Sabanci University, outside Istanbul, says choosing a president will be the first test of the new parliament.

"If the parliamentary elites⁷ fail to cooperate on that first issue, it's likely that we're going to have to have another election," said Carkoglu. "But, it's a very small likelihood because you have the weight of elections is so well rooted in Turkish political culture that I doubt the elites can ignore that weight and decide to start a new a game."

Parliament has 30 days to elect a new president or submit to new elections. That, says Carkoglu, is not something any of the parties will want.

Despite the AKP's solid victory, but it does not have the necessary two thirds majority in parliament to push through its presidential choice. It will need to cooperate and compromise.

The AKP will be joined in parliament by the main secular opposition group, the Republican Peoples' Party, which got 20 percent of the vote and the right-wing, Nationalist Action Party, with its 14 percent share. Also coming to parliament will be over two dozen independents, including from Turkey's ethnic⁸ Kurdish minority.

1 resounding   

adj. 响亮的

参考例句：

• The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。
• He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。

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 relished   

v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望

参考例句：

• The chaplain relished the privacy and isolation of his verdant surroundings. 牧师十分欣赏他那苍翠的环境所具有的幽雅恬静，与世隔绝的气氛。 来自辞典例句
• Dalleson relished the first portion of the work before him. 达尔生对眼前这工作的前半部分满有兴趣。 来自辞典例句

4 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

5 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

7 elites   

精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物

参考例句：

• The elites are by their nature a factor contributing to underdevelopment. 这些上层人物天生是助长欠发达的因素。
• Elites always detest gifted and nimble outsiders. 社会名流对天赋聪明、多才多艺的局外人一向嫌恶。

8 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。