科特迪瓦即将迎来总统大选

Ivory Coast Readies for Presidential Poll 科特迪瓦即将迎来总统大选

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST—

The election campaign is in full-swing in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's biggest city. On Sunday, more than 6 million voters are expected to go to the polls to choose their next leader.

Incumbent¹ President Alassane Ouattara, running for his second five-year term, is widely seen as the frontrunner. He’s supported by the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), one of the country's biggest political parties, and boasts of a fast-growing economy during his tenure².

Tahirou Ouattara says he supports Ouattara because of what he did for the country over the past five years.

"He built a third bridge in Abidjan, he gave Ivory Coast drinkable water, electricity and social security," said Ouattara, a backer of the Rally of the Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) party. "He also made roads."

The poll is crucial for the country after post-election violence five years ago left at least 3,000 people dead.

Supporters of Ouattara and then-President Laurent Gbagbo fought each other for months, when Gbagbo refused to step down after losing the 2010 contest. Gbagbo eventually was toppled, arrested and now awaits trial at the International Criminal Court.

Deeper divisions

Gbagbo's party, the Ivorian Popular Front, or FPI, is more divided than ever.  Former minister Pascal Affi N'Guessan is the party's official candidate, but the ghost of Gbagbo is on everybody's lips.

"What made me support him is that he said he wants to get Gbagbo, [former first lady] Simone Gbagbo and Blé Goudé out of jail," said FPI supporter Emmanuel Flan-Tiety. Goudé, a Gbagbo ally, also faces war crimes charges.

But from his cell in the ICC, Laurent Gbagbo said he was not endorsing³ any candidates.

Election irregularities alleged⁴

Other candidates include former Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny. For weeks, his National Coalition⁵ for Change (CNC) has been repeating that conditions for free and fair elections have not been met, and that the electoral commission is biased⁷ toward Ouattara.

On Tuesday, he tackled the list of registered voters, giving some examples of alleged irregularities.

"This list contains 'doublons'” or double listings, Banny said. “I maintain my claim, I confirm it."

Two other candidates have pulled out of the election, also accusing the electoral commission of bias⁶.

The commission has said its priority is "calm elections."

1 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。

2 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

3 endorsing   

v.赞同( endorse的现在分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• Yet Communist leaders are also publicly endorsing religion in an unprecedented way. 不过，共产党领导层对宗教信仰的公开认可也是以前不曾有过的。 来自互联网
• Connecticut Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman is endorsing Republican Senator John McCain. 康涅狄格州独立派参议员约瑟夫。列波曼将会票选共和议员约翰。麦凯恩。 来自互联网

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

7 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。