VOA标准英语2009年-Iraq Electoral Official Says Vote Will Hap

By Elizabeth Arrott
Cairo
09 November 2009

Election officials in Iraq say the next general election will take place January 21. The announcement one day after a last-minute deal on the nation's electoral law, means the vote will be held within the time limits set by the constitution.  Holding the vote will clear the way for the scheduled withdrawal¹ of the bulk of U.S. troops in Iraq next year.

 
Electoral Commission Chief Faraj al-Haidari says the presidency² council must approve newly proposed election date (file photo)
Electoral official Hamdeya el Hosseiny says the election commission is completing its preparations to hold the vote during the first month of next year. 

She noted³ the reason for the delay from the originally scheduled date of January 16 was because the commission had stopped working while the lawmakers debated the law.

Failure to hold the vote by the end of January, a deadline set by the constitution, threatened the creation of a political void. The commission has numerous logistical obstacles to overcome to hold a general election in a country recovering from war. 

Officials had originally hoped to have three months to organize the poll. But Iraqis and others have expressed relief that at least now a vote seems all but assured. Lawmakers had repeatedly postponed⁴ adopting an electoral law, and continued their squabbling much of Sunday. 

External pressure, including the reported mediation⁵ of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill, was heavy to ensure the lawmakers acted.  A key stumbling block was Kirkuk. Ethnic⁶ Kurds would like to see the oil-rich city under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Ethnic Turkomen and Arabs want it under the central government. 

Lawmakers agreed the vote can go ahead using the current voter rolls that favor Kurds who have recently been returning to the city, instead of older registration⁷ lists. But they said the results will be provisional, and subject to review, an indication the future of the city is far from settled.    

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the passage of the vote a historic victory of the will of the people." U.S. President Barack Obama called it a "significant breakthrough."

Mr. Obama noted the agreement allows for "the orderly and responsible transition" of U.S. combat troops from Iraq.  American troops are scheduled to leave the country by the end of 2011. While the security situation has improved greatly in the past two years, militants⁸ have recently pulled off attacks in the center of Baghdad.

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

3 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。

4 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。

5 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 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？

8 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。