voa标准英语2008-Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina Wins Landslide Electi

The Awami League, led by former prime minister Sheik Hasina, has gained a clear majority of the parliamentary seats in Bangladesh's election. International observers are preliminarily deeming the election fair, which came after a two-year period of emergency rule by an army-backed caretaker government. There are high hopes there that the poverty-wracked country of 150 million people is putting its legacy¹ of autocratic, corrupt² and violent politics behind it.
　

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister and Awami League party leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed after casting her vote at a polling booth in Dhaka, 29 December 2008

Election officials say the Awami League overwhelmingly was the dominant³ party in the first parliamentary election here in seven years. The secular⁴, left-of-center party, led by Sheik Hasina, captured about 230 of the parliament's 300 seats. Allied⁵ parties won about another 30. The Awami League now has a mandate⁶ to push through constitutional changes and its sweeping⁷ reform manifesto⁸.

The election commission says a record 85 percent of eligible⁹ voters went to the polls.

The results are a crushing defeat for Hasina's long-time foe¹⁰, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who allied with several other parties, including an Islamic fundamentalist group.

Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party is formally complaining that its supporters were kept from voting in various places.

Such allegations are not swaying the preliminary opinion of domestic and international observers that the election process, while not perfect, was conducted in a fair manner and free of the widespread vote-rigging typical of past elections.
　

Constance Berry Newman, leader of International Republican Institute observer delegation11, at Dhaka news conference

Former U.S. assistant secretary of state for African Affairs, Constance Berry Newman, led the 65-person observer delegation of the International Republican Institute.

"Though observers noted¹² many procedural irregularities they did not believe them of the scope and severity that would call into question the legitimacy¹³ of the process or the outcome," said Newman.

Despite the Awami League's overwhelming victory, Melbourne University (Australia) political science research fellow Syeed Ahamed says Sheik Hasina's party must give its arch-rival a role in parliamentary affairs.
　

Melbourne University research fellow Syeed Ahamed

"Even if BNP has only some say 30 to 35 seats in the popular vote they actually present almost 50 percent of the population," said Ahamed. "That should be kept in mind. If Awami League do not put BNP in a significant position, what will happen if actually BNP resigns en masse from the parliament? It will be chaos¹⁴."

The two major rival parties traded power during a 15-year period that ended in 2006 with political violence on the streets spinning out of control. That compelled the military to intervene, installing a caretaker government.

The interim¹⁵ leaders vowed¹⁶ a crackdown on political corruption¹⁷, jailing hundreds of people, including Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia. The two fierce rivals, known as the "Battling Begums" and heirs to political dynasties, were freed to contest the long-delayed election.

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

3 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

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 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

6 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

7 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

8 manifesto   

n.宣言，声明

参考例句：

• I was involved in the preparation of Labour's manifesto.我参与了工党宣言的起草工作。
• His manifesto promised measures to protect them.他在宣言里保证要为他们采取保护措施。

9 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

10 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

11 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

14 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

15 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

16 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

17 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。