美国有线新闻 CNN 土耳其修宪公投将把国家带向何方

 

We're starting in a nation that's been described as a bridge between East and West, Turkey, between Europe and the Middle East, between the Mediterranean¹ and the Black Sea, has a population of more than 80 million. It's a parliamentary republic and a major referendum, a vote coming up this Sunday could dramatically change the way the country is govern.

Turkish voters will be deciding whether or not to change their country's constitution and turn its parliamentary system into a presidential one.

This would give Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, more power and it could allow him to stay in office as the nation's leader until 2029.

Supporters say there are too many voices in the government and that the amendments³ would strengthen it with one clear leader. They also say the president would be more effective at stabilizing⁴ Turkey and dealing⁵ with militants⁶ who want the government overthrown⁷. Opponents of the amendment² say they give the president too much power, that he's already pushed the boundaries, and that the changes would move Turkey away from democracy.

The country appears to be deeply divided over the referendum and it's not certain yet which way voters are leaning.

SUBTITLE⁸: Erdogan: What you need to know.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled Turkey for over a decade, during which the country has become a regional powerhouse. So, he became Turkey's first directly elected president in 2014, after rules within his party prevented him from seeking a fourth term as prime minister.

But Erdogan hopes to transform the office of the presidency⁹, traditionally mostly a ceremonial role, into a fully¹⁰ pledged executive office, through a constitutional referendum. In March 2017, Erdogan got caught up in a messy diplomatic spat¹¹ with the leaders of the Netherlands and indeed of some other European countries, after they barred Turkey's ministers from campaigning for the referendum in the country, which has a significant community of Turkish Diaspora.

He's also facing other big challenges. The country is part of the U.S.-led coalition¹², fighting ISIS. Turkey is also fighting a full scale insurgency¹³ from Kurdish militants, like the PKK. Both groups have carried deadly bombings in recent years, dumpling Turkey's tourism and hurting the economy.

But the biggest challenge to his rule came in July of 2016, when a group of military officers tried to push him out of power. The coup¹⁴ failed and in an ironic¹⁵ twist boosted Erdogan's political power.

Despite all the challenges, Erdogan does still enjoy huge support at home and will without doubt remain the key figure in Turkish politics for the near future.

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

3 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

4 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 overthrown   

adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词

参考例句：

• The president was overthrown in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被赶下台。
• He has overthrown the basic standards of morality. 他已摒弃了基本的道德标准。

8 subtitle   

n.副题（书本中的），说明对白的字幕

参考例句：

• His new book has a subtitle.他的新书有一个副标题。
• Ah!I don't know why they don't subtitle these movies.唉！我不知道这些电影为什么不打字幕。

9 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。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 spat   

n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声

参考例句：

• Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。
• There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

12 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。

13 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

14 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。

15 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。