2007年VOA标准英语-Sierra Leone Opposition Takes Early Lead in Pre

By Kari Barber
Dakar
11 September 2007

Opposition¹ party officials in Sierra Leone say they are pleased with preliminary results released Monday that give their candidate, Ernest Koroma, a 64 percent to 36 percent lead over Vice² President Solomon Berewa of the ruling party. But some say the race still could be close as the early results from Saturday's runoff poll, which represent about 22 percent of the vote, mostly come from the west - an area where the opposition is strong. Kari Barber reports from VOA's West Africa bureau in Dakar.

Supporters of the opposition All People's Congress dance outside party headquarters after preliminary partial results are released in Freetown, 10 Sep 2007

Spokesman Victor Foh with the opposition All People's Congress, the party of candidate Ernest Koroma, says the National Electoral Commission's preliminary results agree with his party's tallies³.

He says they had hoped for even more votes in the west, an area that includes the capital Freetown.

"We are supposed to be leading by a bigger margin⁴, but the turnout was emerging very low," said Foh. "However, we are satisfied."

Observers say turnout was slightly lower for the runoff than the first round's 75 percent of voters.

An unofficial tally⁵ conducted by a network of journalists across the country shows the race much closer. Officials from the ruling party say they think their candidate, Vice President Berewa, is faring well in the vote count and making inroads in areas where the opposition has been strong.

APC's Foh says although the early results have boosted confidence within the party, they still have complaints about what they are calling irregularities on voting day.

APC candidate Earnest Koroma

Koroma says his party poll watchers were prevented from going to polling stations in the east, while European Union and other international observers have cited cases of ballot⁶ stuffing, multiple voting and questioned the validity of the vote in areas where tallies show turnout was 100 percent or more. But international observers have largely commended the electoral process.

Foh says for his party to accept the final results, they want to see the National Electoral Commission disqualify votes from those areas where they believe cheating is evident.

"In any polling station where vote counts are in excess of 100 percent, those votes from that polling station should be canceled," said Foh. "Otherwise we will accept whatever results they give us."

Social activists⁷ say they expect to see both parties challenge some results.

After a mostly peaceful first round, the period before the runoff saw a rise in tensions that led to street fights between party members in several cities.

Many hope the elections, the first since the withdrawal⁸ of U.N. troops in 2005, will be a sign that the country has moved forward past the violence and destruction of its decade-long civil war which ended in 2002.

Neither candidate got 55 percent in the August 11 first round, which made the runoff necessary.

Final results are expected to be announced in the coming days.

1 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。

2 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。

3 tallies   

n.账( tally的名词复数 )；符合；（计数的）签；标签v.计算，清点( tally的第三人称单数 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合

参考例句：

• Cash on hand tallies with the figure in the accounts. 现款跟账上的数目没有出入。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He tallies his own marks. 他把自己的得分记了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

5 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

6 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。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。