VOA标准英语2011--Outside Congolese Activists Denounce Election Results as Fraudulent

Outside Congolese Activists¹ Denounce Election Results as Fraudulent

 

While protests against President Joseph Kabila’s re-election turned deadly Saturday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, outside the country demonstrations² were more peaceful but just as angry.

Congolese protesters walked in circles in front of the White House denouncing vote results released Friday in the D.R.C. which they said were fraudulent.

One of the protesters, Blaise Kazadi, drove several hours from the southeastern state of North Carolina to take part.

“Right now, the Congolese they wanted to go to these elections to elect someone that they trust, the one that can bring peace in the country, and now they see that their voice and their opinion has been stolen. That is why people are angry, everywhere in Brussels, in America, in France, everybody is angry, because we did not elect Joseph Kabila. We need a change.”

In Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, angry youths who supported Mr. Kabila’s main election rival former Prime Minister Etienne Tshisekedi burned tires and barricaded³ streets.

They said Congolese were in national mourning.

A Congolese protester waves a flag of the former Zaire in front of the White House Saturday, December 10, 2011, denouncing recent election results in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Congo’s electoral commission Friday declared President Kabila re-elected with nearly 49 percent of the vote to Mr. Tshisekedi’s 32 percent. Mr. Kabila first came to power in a military coup⁴ in 2001, shortly after his father, a former rebel turned president, was assassinated⁵.

The U.S. election monitoring group the Carter Center said Saturday the results of Congo’s 2011 presidential election lacked credibility.

It said some pro-Kabila areas reported impossibly high rates of 99 to 100 percent voter turnout with nearly all votes going to Mr. Kabila.

The Carter Center called on Congolese political actors and institutions to closely examine the results and identify solutions.

Back in Washington, protesters like Patrick Mubobo said they were losing faith in the electoral process.

“If these elections are not fair, that is demonstrating that democracy has failed. There is no need in going in any elections because it is a waste of time.”

Protesters said they hoped the U.S. government would condemn⁶ the election results and call for a serious investigation⁷. They said the international community had failed to help the people of conflict-wracked and mineral-rich Congo for decades, and was failing again by letting erroneous election results stand.

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 barricaded   

设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守

参考例句：

• The police barricaded the entrance. 警方在入口处设置了路障。
• The doors had been barricaded. 门都被堵住了。

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 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

6 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

7 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。