卢森堡提前举行立法选举

 　　卢森堡提前举行立法选举

        LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Luxembourg went to the polls on Sunday in a snap election after Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg for the past 18 years, had resigned over a spying scandal in July.

　　In spite of the scandal, Juncker is seen by many as a trustworthy politician capable of protecting Luxembourg's national interests in Europe and elsewhere. His center-right Christian¹ Social People's Party (CSV) is still projected to top the poll.

　　The CSV has been the dominant² partner in governing coalitions⁴ for decades, and Juncker is very likely to continue serving as the prime minister, unless other parties manage to form an alliance against the CSV.

　　"I hope my future will be here (in Luxembourg)," Juncker said in response to the question whether he would run for the position of the European Commission president when he went to vote at a polling station in the south of the Luxembourg city.

　　"It's difficult to predict the result ... I hope there will be a change," said Etienne Schneider, the frontrunner for the center-left Luxembourg Socialist⁵ Workers' Party (LSAP) as well as the former economic and foreign trade minister.

　　More than 600 polling stations were set up across the tiny but rich country in West Europe from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., and nearly 238,600 voters were registered, or 6.6 percent higher than that of the 2009 election.

　　Eve Albach, a 40-year-old museum worker, said she would vote for the Democratic Party. Annette Pohu, another voter who came to the polling station with her two sons, said she picked up politicians from different parties instead of supporting only one party.

　　The parliament, or the 60-member Chamber⁶ of Deputies, is elected for a five-year term by proportional representation in four constituencies, namely the north, the south, the east and the center. Each voter has as many votes as there are members to be elected in his or her constituency.

　　The prime minister, to be appointed by the Grand Duke after the elections, is usually the leader of the party or the coalition³ of parties gaining the most seats in the parliament.

　　Luxembourg has an obligatory⁷ voting system for citizens between the age of 18 and 75, thus guaranteeing a very high turnout each time. Votes by mail are only allowed for people over the age of 75 or living abroad, while unjustified failure to vote will result in a fine of at least 100 euros.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 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。

3 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。

4 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。

5 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 obligatory   

adj.强制性的，义务的，必须的

参考例句：

• It is obligatory for us to obey the laws.我们必须守法。
• It is obligatory on every citizen to safeguard our great motherland.保卫我们伟大的祖国是每一个公民应尽的义务。