VOA标准英语2009年-Somaliland President Shuts Down Parliament

The president of Somaliland has forcibly closed the breakaway republic's parliament after it began debating impeachment¹ charges against him, just a few days after elections were indefinitely postponed². The speaker of Somaliland's Lower House of Parliament accuses of the territory's leader of dictatorship.
　
President of the Breakaway Republic of Somaliland, Dahir Riyale in his office in Hargeisa (File)

Security forces controlled by Somaliland President Dahir Riyale stormed into the parliament on Tuesday and removed the members. Since that time, security forces have locked up the parliament building and refused access to legislators.

Tensions flared³ up in the Lower House of Parliament after the body's legal advisor⁴ ruled that an impeachment motion from a member of parliament was constitutional and could be debated. The ruling resulted in a physical scuffle allegedly instigated⁵ by members loyal to the president.

After one member of parliament, known for being a staunch ally of the president, brandished⁶ a gun, police moved in and forcibly adjourned⁷ the meeting.

The speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, Abdurrahman Abdillahi, accused the president of purposefully orchestrating the brawl⁸ in order to justify⁹ stopping the impeachment proceedings¹⁰.

"The plan was just either the motion would stop, or the parliament building would be confiscated¹¹ by the security forces of the president. We have requested the president to remove these units from the parliament building, but there was no heeding," he said.

The president's move is just the latest in a string of actions that critics point to in accusing the Somaliland leader of abuse of power and systematic¹² disregard for the law of the land.

Earlier this week, the election commission indefinitely postponed elections schedule for later this month, citing the deteriorating¹³ political environment and the president's decision to hold the poll without voter registration¹⁴ lists. It was the third announced delay of the vote that was originally supposed to take place 17 months ago.

A term extension granted to President Riyale is set to expire in October.

The speaker of the Lower House said the leader is turning the office of the presidency¹⁵ into a dictatorship.

"We think these are the characteristics of an immanent dictator. He does not respect the constitution, he does not respect the laws, and that is the normal characteristics of an immanent dictator," he said.

The Somaliland MPs have announced they and their staff will attempt to peacefully re-enter the building Saturday. The speaker said if this action fails, they will just keep trying until the situation is resolved.

Watchdog groups fear the political crisis in Somaliland is threatening the existence of its young democracy, rare in a region marred¹⁶ with conflict.

The territory declared its independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 after the country's last functioning central government toppled. But the rest of the world has yet to recognize its statehood.

1 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

2 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。

3 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

4 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

5 instigated   

v.使（某事物）开始或发生，鼓动( instigate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government has instigated a programme of economic reform. 政府已实施了经济改革方案。
• He instigated the revolt. 他策动了这次叛乱。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 brandished   

v.挥舞( brandish的过去式和过去分词 )；炫耀

参考例句：

• "Bang!Bang!"the small boy brandished a phoney pistol and shouted. “砰！砰！”那小男孩挥舞着一支假手枪，口中嚷嚷着。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Swords brandished and banners waved. 刀剑挥舞，旌旗飘扬。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 adjourned   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
• The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后，审讯就宣告暂停。

8 brawl   

n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂

参考例句：

• They had nothing better to do than brawl in the street.他们除了在街上斗殴做不出什么好事。
• I don't want to see our two neighbours engaged in a brawl.我不希望我们两家吵架吵得不可开交。

9 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

10 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

11 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

12 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

13 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

14 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？

15 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。

16 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。