Reports Predict Possible Political Breakthrough in Ukraine

 

By Lisa McAdams
After days of political deadlock¹ in Ukraine, latest reports indicate the government and pro-opposition² forces have come to agreement on a series of legislative³ changes that would allow for a new presidential run-off vote by month's end.
Opposition leader Petro Poroshenko predicts Ukraine's political deadlock will be broken on Tuesday, during an extraordinary session of parliament.  At that time, he says lawmakers will pass changes to the Constitution and to Ukraine's electoral law that have so far held up plans to hold the next election.
Details about the exact deal reportedly reached remain sketchy⁴, but Ukraine's independent television quotes Ukrainian officials as saying the agreement will satisfy opposition demands to fire the government of  Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, the declared winner of the elections, whose victory was overturned by Ukraine's Supreme⁵ Court last Friday in a landmark⁶ ruling for the opposition.
The changes are also expected to include the naming of a new head of the Central Election Committee to replace the one who oversaw⁷ last month's fraudulent second round run-off.
If parliament passes the legislation, it will still need to be signed into law by outgoing President Leonid Kuchma.
In return, the opposition is said to have agreed to President Kuchma's demands for controversial Constitutional reforms that could lead to an eventual⁸ weakening of the presidency⁹, in favor of the parliament and prime minister. 
News of the potential break came late Monday after talks between the various parliamentary factions¹⁰.  It also coincided with a third series of roundtable talks in Kiev by international mediators at President Kuchma's request. 
The talks at Kiev's Mariansky Palace grouped EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, OSCE Secretary General Jan Kubas, Lithuanian President Valdus Adamkus, Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski, along with President Kuchma and the opposing presidential candidates, Mr. Yanukovych and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko.  For the first time since the mediation¹¹ began, Russia's views were also represented by Russian parliamentary speaker, Boris Gryzlof.
Earlier, Mr. Kuchma again asked parliament to examine the proposed changes without delay.
In a New York Times interview published Monday, Mr. Kuchma said that if he were Prime Minister Yanukovych he would not agree to stand in the third round re-run election. 
But Mr. Yanukovych appeared in public for the first time in days Monday and assured his supporters he would be a candidate.
Mr. Yanukovych said several million people voted for him in the last round of elections and that he could not let his supporters down.  He also named parliamentarian Taras Chernovyl as his new campaign manager. 
If a political deal is sealed on Tuesday, as reports suggest, Ukraine's voters are expected to head back to the polls on December 26.

注释：
deadlock 僵局
legislative 立法的
extraordinary session 特别（非常）会议
electoral 选举人的
sketchy 粗略的，大体上的
fraudulent 骗得的
controversial 有争议的
coincide with 与……相符
mediation 调停行为，干预

 

1 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

2 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。

3 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

4 sketchy   

adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的

参考例句：

• The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
• Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

7 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

8 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

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 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

11 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。