VOA标准英语2009年-Afghanistan Prepares for Presidential Runo

By Ravi Khanna
Washington
23 October 2009

Afghanistan is getting ready for a second-round presidential election between President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, after a fraud investigation¹ brought Mr. Karzai's totals to below 50 percent.

 
The United Nations has begun delivering ballots² across Afghanistan to prepare for the November 7 runoff between President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.

The second round comes after the election commission nullified nearly one million votes cast in August presidential polls. The investigation brought Mr. Karzai's vote count below 50 percent, enough to trigger a runoff.
 
President Barack Obama has said the runoff reflects the will of the Afghan people and he may withhold³ his decision on U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan until after the new polls.
 
The remarks followed his meeting with Senator John Kerry, who has just returned from the Afghan capital, Kabul.

"I think you really want to know that this has worked and you want to know what kind of government is coming out of it," he said.

An analyst⁴ at the Institute for the Study of War, Haseeb Humayoon, says Mr. Karzai may win again.

 
Haseeb Humayoon
"If we look at the numbers and how they have turned out, President Karzai has a much stronger base than Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and that may play a role in the second round as well," he explained.

But questions remain about the deals Mr. Karzai struck with local powers of remote Afghan regions to win their support. 

"I think one has to look at that with a lot of caution, because while electorally those deals might have returns, in terms of government efficiency down the line they are questionable," he added.

But Rick Nelson at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington says it is wrong to look at the Afghan political landscape through a Western lens.

 
Rick Nelson
"President Karzai has been very aggressive in trying to cut deals and trying to build partnerships," he noted⁶. "But given the circumstances in which he is trying to operate, if he can cut deals with rival factions⁷ and it results in a stable Afghanistan, that is something we may want to support."

Another scenario⁸ presented by some experts is one in which the August election runner up, Mr. Abdullah, wins this time around. Nelson says he may not belong to the Pashtun majority tribe, but he is not that different politically than Mr. Karzai.

"Obviously, he is not a full Pashtun, he is a little bit Tajik as well, and that may change the dynamics⁹ with the United States," Mr. Nelson added. "But it probably is not going to change the overall U.S. policy too much."

There is also the chance that the two contenders will come up with some sort of an agreement to share power and avoid the runoff. While some analysts¹⁰ say this is unlikely, Nelson is optimistic.

 "If there is a unity¹¹ government in advance, it certainly puts the whole election legitimacy¹² question aside, and will enable the United States and NATO to move forward in their partnership⁵ with Afghanistan," he said.

In Washington, U.S. officials have said a power-sharing arrangement between the two leaders would be totally up to the Afghans.

1 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。

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 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 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。

7 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

8 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

9 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

11 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

12 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。