2006年VOA标准英语-Chad's Deby Wins Boycotted Election

By Nico Colombant
N'Djamena and Abidjan
19 May 2006
 
watch Chad's Election

 
Chadian president Idriss Deby (file picture) 
  
Chad's embattled President Idriss Deby, who faces a surging rebellion on several fronts, has been officially certified¹ as the winner of his country's latest presidential election with over 77 percent of the vote.  Western diplomats² say the vote was far from free and fair, and few Chadians appeared to take part.

The vote came as Chad, a new oil producer, also had problems with international lenders who helped pay for an oil pipeline³.  Chad's government watered down a law ensuring some oil profits would go to alleviate⁴ poverty, prompting the World Bank to temporarily cut aid and freeze overseas bank accounts.  More on the election from VOA's Nico Colombant.

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During the campaign, there seemed to be just one candidate:  Idriss Deby. He actually ran against several handpicked opponents, but the opposition⁵ boycotted⁶ the process.

Anything that looked like a rally was for Mr. Deby: Youth groups and women's associations, all paid for by the government, took to the streets throughout the campaign.

One woman's hat reads that she is against what she calls Sudanese Barbarians⁷.

 
Woman's hat reads: against Sudanese Barbarians
  
Mr. Deby accuses Sudan's government of being behind several rebel movements trying to topple him.

Some of the rebels are allied⁸ with Janjaweed militias⁹ fighting in Sudan's Darfur region, while other Chadian rebels are allied with Darfurian rebels.  Their allies are fighting against each other in Darfur, but in Chad, the common goal is to get rid of Mr. Deby. 

During a speech in the central town of Mongo, Mr. Deby promised to defend Chad against what he calls the aggression¹⁰ coming from Sudan. Speaking in Arabic he also promised electricity, roads, schools and hospitals.

Rebels actually passed through here in April on their way to the capital N'djamena before being pushed back.

At every campaign stop, there was intense security -- on voting day, there seemed to be more military and security for the president than actual voters.

There was also obvious cheating.

 
Allegedly voted twice 
  
This woman, noticeable with her panther-printed clothing, had voted just after Mr. Deby -- in front of journalists -- then came to vote at another polling center 30 minutes later.

Mariama, a militant¹¹ of the ruling MPS party, refused to admit she voted twice. "Everyone in N'Djamena votes for democracy, for peace, for Deby, because they do not want any problems, but only peace for the country."

Many Chadians, speaking on condition of anonymity¹², said they were disillusioned¹³ with Mr. Deby's rule. Outside the city center, polling centers were mostly empty.

It is three o'clock in the afternoon, and at one bureau very few people have voted. Officials say voter turnout was 60 percent, but few people believe this..

Mahameet Hissein   
  
At a news conference following the vote, when a journalist asked why polling centers had been so deserted¹⁴, MPS secretary general Mahamet Hissein objected. "People are used to voting.  But this is the hottest time of the year, so people don't want to wait in line."

The parliament was attacked in mid-April.  Rebels actually thought it was the presidency¹⁵. 

Mr. Deby says he was waiting for rebels, in his words, with croissants and coffee. Mr. Deby actually got the help of French forces stationed in Chad, who informed him of the rebel advance. 

Hundreds were killed in the fighting, and rebels fled back to their bases along the border with Sudan, leaving the scene of fighting deserted. They vowed¹⁶ to return and attack the right building.

Now that Mr. Deby has won a new term, many residents believe the rebels will carry out their threat, while N'djamena remains¹⁷ enveloped¹⁸ in an eerie¹⁹ desert calm.

1 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。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

4 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

7 barbarians   

n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人

参考例句：

• The ancient city of Rome fell under the iron hooves of the barbarians. 古罗马城在蛮族的铁蹄下沦陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It conquered its conquerors, the barbarians. 它战胜了征服者——蛮族。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

8 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

9 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

10 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

11 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

12 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

13 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

14 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

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 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

18 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 eerie   

adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的

参考例句：

• It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
• I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。