voa标准英语2008-Ghana Election Results Postponed

Ghana's Electoral Commission has delayed the release of final results from Sunday's presidential run-off because of problems with voting materials in one of the country's 230 districts. Voters in that district will re-cast their ballots² Friday.

Ghana's Electoral Commission said it will not announce a winner in the presidential race until after voters in the western district of Tain cast their ballots again. In Sunday's run-off between ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo and opposition³ candidate John Atta-Mills, polling stations in Tain were short 1,008 ballot¹ papers. So voters there will go to the polls again on Friday.
　

NDC supporters celebrate after learning John Atta Mills is leading in presidential elections in Accra, 30 Dec 2008

With all but the Tain votes counted, the commission said Atta-Mills has received 50.13 percent of the vote. Akufo-Addo has received 49.87 percent.

Electoral Commission Chairman Kwado Afari-Gyan said the 53,000 people registered to vote in Tain could very well decide Ghana's next president.

"The results are so close, the results of the Tain constituency could affect the eventual⁴ winner," said Kwado.

Gyan did not say when the Electoral Commission would announce a winner. Before Friday's revoting in Tain, he is asking the ruling National Patriotic⁵ Party to substantiate⁶ allegations of vote rigging in the Volta region. He said the commission will investigate allegations of fraud by both the ruling party and the opposition National Democratic Congress, and the outcome of that investigation⁷ will be factored into the final outcome.
　

Ruling party presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, (File photo)

Ruling party candidate Akufo-Addo defeated Atta-Mills in the first round of balloting⁸ earlier this month. But because neither man won more than 50 percent of the votes cast, they went head-to-head Sunday to determine who will succeed out-going President John Kufuor.

Opposition supporters surrounded the Electoral Commission Tuesday waiting for the expected announcement of a winner. They were kept behind barricades⁹ by soldiers and police backed by water cannons¹⁰. Some banks and businesses in the area closed fearing possible violence.

Opposition candidate Atta-Mills is urging his supporters to stay calm.

Ruling party chairman Peter Mac Manu said Ghanian media predictions of a win by the opposition are premature¹¹.

The NPP's Akufo-Addo is a 64-year-old former attorney general and foreign minister who campaigned on the strength of improvements in Ghana's economy, health care and infrastructure¹² during the Kufuor administration.
　

Opposition Presidential candidate John Atta Mills, (file photo)

Opposition candidate Atta-Mills is a 64-year-old tax law professor who campaigned against the ruling party saying it is time for a change after what he called eight years of "miserable¹³ failure."

Atta-Mills was vice¹⁴ president to Ghana's former leader Jerry Rawlings who came to power in a coup¹⁵ 27 years ago. Mr. Rawlings introduced some economic and political reforms before handing over power to President Kufuor eight years ago.

Whoever wins will govern with a decidedly different parliament, as the ruling party lost its legislative¹⁶ majority in the first round, dropping 21 seats to finish with 107 of the 228 seats in parliament. The opposition NDC picked up 20 seats to finish with 114 seats.

1 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。

2 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》

3 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。

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 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

6 substantiate   

v.证实；证明...有根据

参考例句：

• There is little scientific evidence to substantiate the claims.这些主张几乎找不到科学依据来证实。
• These theories are used to substantiate the relationship between the phenomenons of the universe.这些学说是用来证实宇宙现象之间的关系。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

9 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

10 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

12 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

13 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

14 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。

15 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

16 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。