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102 巴基斯坦选举安全措施严密
Tight Security Before Pakistani Elections
Jon Tkach
Islamabad
3 Jul 2001 01:49 UTC
Security is tight in Pakistan, where nearly 20 million people are expected to cast their votes in local elections. Violent incidents in the southern port city of Karachi killed at least five people on the eve of the elections, but officials say 1)polling across the country has gone on without any major hitches. Voters are choosing local councils, the first elected bodies in the military government's plan to return to 2)civilian rule.
A deadly bomb blast tore through a crowded theater in Karachi Sunday night, and 3)scattered fighting in the city left several more people dead on the eve of the polls.
Anticipating some violence, the government 4)deployed 45,000 troops to 5)patrol Karachi and other parts of Sindh province during the voting.
Pakistan's Interior Minister, Moinuddin Haider, says a 6)boycott call by two of the area's most powerful ethnic parties also prompted the move to 7)boost security. "We had to take extra 8)precautions to ensure the voters will have confidence and will be able to come out of their homes freely and cast their votes," he said. "And I think things have gone well since this morning."
Voting was reported slow in some districts of Karachi as people heeded the parties' calls to stay away. The groups have denied being behind any of the violence and have promised their boycott would be peaceful.
Across the country, polling is taking place in 29 districts. Voters are choosing some 3,500 local leaders, marking the fourth phase of municipal elections. The fifth and final phase is set for early August.
The military government describes the polls as true 9)grassroots 10)democracy, leading up to national elections next year.
But 11)analysts say it is still unclear how much power the local bodies will actually 12)yield, let alone whether they can lead a return to democracy. Aasim Akhtar is a research fellow at Islamabad's Sustainable Developement Policy Institute. "For us the significance is that it is an illegal military government that is doing this, and unfortunately, as things have happened in Pakistan's history, the three military governments have all been characterized by conducting local elections because they lack 13)legitimacy," he said.
Mr. Akhtar says he is troubled by the fact that political parties are barred from backing 14)candidates in the polls. He says no matter how 15)corrupt they are considered to be, the parties need to have a role, because they will eventually take over.
But Interior Minister Haider notes that local body elections have been 16)apolitical throughout Pakistan's history. He says the government's plan will help bring more people into the political process. Outside a polling site in the northern city of Rawalpindi, a crowd of female voters gathers to discuss some of the confusion - and 17)allegations of vote-18)rigging - that have accompanied this round of elections.
But amid the problems, voter Naseema Mehfooz says she is 19)optimistic the government's plan will bring some change. She says she is hopeful this time the elections will make a difference. But in the end, she says, no elected officials are going to take care of all their problems. She says people will just have to continue to rely on themselves. Ms. Mehfooz and other Pakistanis have suffered through four successive elected governments over the last 20)decade that were brought down by corruption charges.
Mismanagement by elected officials has left Pakistan $37 billion in debt, and without any 21)significant improvement for most of its 144 million people.
Many Pakistani voters appear to be patient with the military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, who has barred most political activities and arrested hundreds of pro-democracy activists. After taking power in a military 22)coup two years ago, the general promised to clean up the country's political system before 23)restoring what he calls "24)genuine democracy." Critics say his decision to declare himself president last month 25)virtually ensures a system of "guided democracy" - meaning he plans to stay in power well beyond next year's national elections.
(1) Polling n. 投票选举,投票表决
(2) civilian[sI5vIlIEn]n.平民, 公务员, 文官adj.民间的, 民用的
(3) scatter[5skAtE(r)]v.分散, 散开, 撒开, 驱散
(4) deploy[dI5plCI]v.展开, 配置
(5) patrol[pE5trEJl]v.出巡, 巡逻n.巡逻
(6) boycott[5bCIkRt]n.vt.联合抵制, 联合排斥某国货物或与某国绝交
(7) boost[bu:st]v.推进
(8) precaution[prI5kC:F(E)n]n.预防, 警惕, 防范
(9) grassroots n.大众
(10) democracy[dI5mRkrEsI]n.民主政治, 民主主义
(11) analyst[5AnElIst]n.分析家, 分解者
(12) yield[ji:ld]v.出产, 生长vi.屈服, 屈从n.产量, 收益
(13) legitimacy[lI`dVItImEsI]n.合法(性), 正统(性), 正确(性)
(14) candidate[5kAndIdEt; (?@) 5kAndIdeIt]n.候选人, 投考者
(15) corrupt[kE5rQpt]adj.腐败的, 贪污的vt.使腐烂, 腐蚀vi.腐烂, 堕落
(16) apolitical[eIpE5lItIk(E)l]adj.不关心政治的
(17) allegation[AlI5^eIF(E)n]n.主张，断言, 辩解
(18) rigging[5rI^IN]n.索具, 绳索, 传动装置, 装备
(19) optimistic[RptI5mIstIk]adj.乐观的
(20) decade[5dekeId]n.十年, 十
(21) significant[sI^5nIfEkEnt]adj.有意义的, 重大的, 重要的
(22) coup[ku:]n.出乎意料的行动, 政变
(23) restore[rI5stC:(r)]vt.恢复, 使回复, 归还
(24) genuine[5dVenju:In]adj.真实的, 真正的, 诚恳的
(25) virtually[5v:tjJElI]adv.事实上, 实质上
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