VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Says Pakistan Vote Is Victory for People

By Scott Stearns
Accra, Ghana
20 February 2008

President Bush says Monday's general elections in Pakistan were fair and that he hopes the new government there will continue an anti-terrorism alliance with the United States. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he will not step down, despite big opposition¹ wins.

President Bush says voters have spoken in a fair election that is a victory for the Pakistani people. He says he appreciates that President Musharraf did what he promised to do by holding this vote after declaring emergency rule, last year.

"He said he was going to hold elections. He said he would get rid of his emergency law. And, so it is now time for the newly-elected folks to show up and form their government," the president said. "And, the question then is: will they be friends of the United States? I certainly hope so. We view Pakistan as an important ally."

Speaking to reporters in Ghana, during a five-nation tour of Africa, Mr. Bush said the United States and Pakistan share a common interest in bringing to justice those who killed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December.

"We've got interests in helping² making sure there is no safe haven³ from which people can plot and plan attacks against the United States of America and Pakistan," he said. "So that's my take on the elections."

Opposition parties took far more seats in parliament than President Musharraf's alliance, which conceded defeat even before the final tally⁴ was announced.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wants President Musharraf to step down. The opposition leader is trying to hold the president to his statement last year that he would resign, if he lost popular support.

Mr. Musharraf told the Wall Street Journal that he has no plans to step down and must, instead, move forward in a way that will bring about a stable, democratic government in Pakistan.

U.S. senators John Kerry and Joe Biden were both in Pakistan to monitor the election and say the vote was credible⁵. Biden now wants to triple non-military aid to $1.5 billion, because he says Pakistan has taken an important step on the road to democracy.

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 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

4 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。

5 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？