VOA标准英语2009年-Ivorian President Declares Candidacy for S

By Anne Look
Dakar
17 October 2009

 
President Laurent Gbagbo 
Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo declared his candidacy in the country's long-delayed presidential elections, now scheduled for November.

Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo's remarks were met with thunderous applause, as he filed his candidacy for the country's presidential elections, now scheduled for November 29.

Mr. Gbagbo says he is the candidate for Ivory Coast. He says he is the candidate for the men and women of Ivory Coast. He says he is the candidate to continue the fight they began and to continue the fight their parents and grandparents began in the 1940s, a fight Mr. Gbagbo says some have abandoned. He says he is the candidate for Ivory Coast and the fight is moving forward.

The presidential poll, which has been postponed¹ several times since 2005, is an attempt to find a lasting² political solution to nearly a decade of internal conflict in the once stable West African nation.

Mr. Gbagbo said this election will take place not just to choose a president but also to usher³ in a new era for Ivory Coast.

Though elected to his first five-year term in 2000, President Gbagbo has led Ivory Coast for nine years through a failed coup⁴ attempt, a civil war and the country's tortuous⁵ reunification process.

Civil war cut the nation in half in 2002, after rebels attempting to overthrow⁶ President Gbagbo took control of the northern part of the country. Thousands were killed in the conflict, and the country, though now at peace, remains⁷ tense and fractured. The country has since missed deadlines for presidential elections set by the peace accords of 2007 and late 2008 which created a transitional, power-sharing government. Mr. Gbagbo remained president, while rebel leader Guillaume Soro took the role of prime minister.

President Gbagbo's mandate⁸ ran out in October 2005, and members of the opposition⁹ have accused him of stalling the presidential election to stay in power.

In speeches this fall, Mr. Gbagbo has insisted that there are no longer any political obstacles to the elections, which he has said must take place in 2009. Government officials and international observers have blamed technical problems related to voter identification and registration¹⁰ for recent delays. Anti-immigrant sentiment and issues of nationality, particularly who can run and vote in elections, were at the heart of the conflict and remain sensitive.

Last week's publication of the provisional voter list after a two-month delay was an important milestone¹¹ as the country struggles to make the November 29 poll date. Yet, just six weeks before the poll, the list of more than 6.3 million names has yet to be posted in the the country's 11,000 polling stations. The list must be agreed upon by voters and political parties before ballots¹² can be printed.

Saturday was the deadline for candidates to register for the race, and Mr. Gbagbo's name brings the list of presidential hopefuls to 20. He is the candidate for a coalition¹³ of a dozen political parties that call themselves the Presidential Majority and is seen as a frontrunner in the race. His primary challengers will be former Ivorian president Henri Konan Bedie and former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara.

Members of the opposition continue to insist that the presidential elections take place as planned on November 29, but observers fear there is still too much work to be done and scrambling¹⁴ to make the deadline could result in a flawed poll.

1 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

2 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

3 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

4 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。

5 tortuous   

adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的

参考例句：

• We have travelled a tortuous road.我们走过了曲折的道路。
• They walked through the tortuous streets of the old city.他们步行穿过老城区中心弯弯曲曲的街道。

6 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 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。

9 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。

10 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

11 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

12 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》

13 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

14 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》