VOA标准英语2009年-Dueling Claims of Victory in Afghan Presid

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission is asking voters and the media to ignore claims by competing camps that their candidates captured a first-run victory in the presidential election. Meanwhile, a prominent U.S.-government funded institute says the electoral process appears to have been credible¹ "so far."
　
Results of ballot² box tallies³ posted in front of a school classroom in Kabul, 21 Aug 2009

The campaigns of both incumbent⁴ President Hamid Karzai and his top challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, are both declaring a first-round victory. That despite election officials saying the ballot totals from individual polling sites have not yet reached the capital.

A candidate needs more than 50 percent to avoid a runoff election.

An unofficial tabulation⁵ by VOA of totals posted at three precincts in different neighborhoods of Kabul shows Mr. Karzai leading, but falling short of capturing more than half of the total ballots⁶.

Commission officials and international observer groups are asking the public, media and candidates to be patient and await official results.

Richard Williamson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is leading the monitoring delegation⁷ of the International Republican Institute, which is funded by the American government.
　
Richard Williamson

"Today, I've already heard of two candidates declaring majority victory," he said. "If I recall, such good-natured horseplay happens in American elections, too. The key is that, by September 9th, they have a preliminary count that they are confident reflects what happened."

Williamson adds "so far, it has been a credible election."

The Afghan Independent Election Commission, known as the IEC, had previously⁸ said partial results would be released 48 hours after the close of Thursday's polls. It now says preliminary totals will not begin to trickle⁹ out until Tuesday and certified¹⁰ final results will be released from September 17 through the 21.

In the meantime, rival camps are trading accusations¹¹ of vote fraud.

The IEC says such claims, if filed by candidates or others, will be investigated. The International Republican Institute is being more explicit¹², commenting in a release that the magnitude of reports of voting registration¹³ cards being sold and multiple voting warrants investigation¹⁴.

The organization also decries¹⁵ what it calls an "alarming amount" of fraud and abuse of state resources during the campaign period. The group also criticizes imbalanced election coverage¹⁶ by the state-run media "heavily favoring the incumbent."

Another concern is a drop in voter turnout compared to the 70 percent seen in 2004. The IRI's Williamson told reporters Friday insecurity, due to Taliban threats to disrupt the election and retaliate¹⁷ against those who voted, was "a dominant¹⁸ factor" in reducing turnout.
　
Daoud Ali Najafi

Afghanistan's chief electoral officer, Daoud Ali Najafi, declines to confirm other officials' estimates of overall turnout dipping between 40 and 50 percent.

"In the provinces under high security threat level maybe the turnout was low. But there are many provinces where the participants were high. Now it's very difficult for us, because we could not receive the final figures from the provinces. Soon, we will announce the turnout when we get the final figure," he said.

A low turnout and significant claims of fraud could bring into question the legitimacy¹⁹ of the election. Observers say that could undermine the new government and heighten ethnic²⁰ tensions in a country with a volatile²¹ history of warlords and recent decades of civil war.

Afghanistan is currently battling - with the help of 100,000 foreign troops - an insurgency²² led by the Taliban.

1 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？

2 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。

3 tallies   

n.账( tally的名词复数 )；符合；（计数的）签；标签v.计算，清点( tally的第三人称单数 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合

参考例句：

• Cash on hand tallies with the figure in the accounts. 现款跟账上的数目没有出入。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He tallies his own marks. 他把自己的得分记了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

5 tabulation   

作表，表格； 表列结果； 列表； 造表

参考例句：

• A tabulation of a function of two variables is cumbersome, but possible. 二元函数的列表法是不方便的，然而是可能的。
• Such a tabulation cannot represent adequately the complex gradation relationships between the types. 这样的图表不能充分代表各类型之间的复杂级配关系。

6 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》

7 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

8 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

9 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

10 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

11 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

12 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

13 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？

14 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。

15 decries   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Mr Basescu decries communism as criminal, but Bulgarian leaders only mumble. 巴塞斯库总统将共产主义比作犯罪，而对这个问题，保加利亚的领导人却避而不谈。 来自互联网
• A staunch materialist,he decries economy. 一个坚定的唯物主义者公开谴责经济。 来自互联网

16 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

17 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

18 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

19 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。

20 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。

21 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

22 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网