非洲－2005年非洲大选面临挑战

 

Africa's 2005 Elections Present Challenges

 

Major elections are scheduled to take place in Central and West Africa in 2005, including in several post-conflict areas. Experts agree challenges will be enormous for these to be free, fair and credible¹.

 

This was the sound of join’s companion for local elections in Walton Salnia in 2004. In the coming year, campaigns for presidential elections should take place in four post-conflict countries: the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

The first of these polls, scheduled for February 13th in the CAR, is already being tarnished² by allegations that former coup³ leader-turned president and now candidate, General Francois Bozize, has handpicked his opponents. Main opposition⁴ leaders, including former President Ange-Felix Patasse, have been barred from running, on technicalities.

 

Regional human rights campaigner Alioune Tine warns holding the election in this context could make things worse, rather than better.

 

Alioune Tine: It is a threat, it's a threat. I think that the United Nations must be very narrowly implicated⁵ to this process and the African Union too. I think that there is some sense about these elections, some sense to get another civil war in Central Africa.

 

The second presidential election in the region is scheduled in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for late June.

 

London-based Africa analyst⁶ for the World Markets Research Center Gus Selassie says this may be too early. He cites ongoing⁷ insecurity as a main obstacle.

 

Gus Selassie: Unless you want to get a credible election then probably be more sensible to wait until the conditions are in place to have such an election. Otherwise, you're just going to create a problem by giving legitimacy⁸ to someone, you know, who would win the ballot⁹ by default, almost.

 

When electoral officials also suggested a possible delay this week, thousands of angry protesters took to the streets of the capital, Kinshasa.

 

Whenever the ballot takes place, Congolese President Joseph Kabila is expected to defeat former rebel leaders and opposition politicians.

 

In Liberia, the peace deal prevents members of the transitional government, including Chairman Gyude Bryant, from running. One early candidate is soccer legend George Weah.

 

But analyst Mike McGovern, from the International Crisis Group, says more aid money is needed for the elections to go off successfully, as scheduled, in mid-October.

 

Mike McGovern: The international support, I would say, has been middling. Not all the money that's been promised has been given and that money really needs to come especially to facilitate the reintegration of ex-combatants and the repatriation¹¹ of refugees. If you don't have those two pieces of the puzzle in place aware before the elections - let's say four to six months before the election - it's going to be very difficult to organize credible and legitimate¹² elections. And that takes money. It takes logistics. It takes planning, but it also takes money.

 

Four days after Liberians vote, their neighbors in Ivory Coast are scheduled to hold their own presidential ballot.

 

The stalled Ivorian peace deal is supposed to ease eligibility¹³ requirements, paving the way for popular northern opposition leader Alassane Ouattara to take part.

 

But Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo wants a referendum to approve that change.

 

Analyst Alex Vines from the British Royal Institute of International Affairs says, if the French-brokered deal known as "Marcoussis" is applied¹⁴ as initially¹⁵ intended, Mr. Gbagbo may, in fact, lose the vote.

 

Mr. Vines says this explains Mr. Gbagbo's reluctance¹⁶ to fully¹⁰ and quickly implement¹⁷ it.

 

Mr. Vines: Mr. Gbagbo would basically have to face an election that he might not be in the best position to be returned on. But the problem is what else is there to replace Marcoussis. This is not something that anybody is really talking about. And, there isn't much appetite to restart a negotiation¹⁸ for a new deal at this stage.

 

All four post-conflict areas are also having difficulties establishing voter lists.

 

Other elections, later in the year, will be in Gabon and Burkina Faso. Human rights observer Alioune Tine says the two long-time presidents there - Omar Bongo and Blaise Compaore - will pretend to have democratic elections, as long as they are returned to power.

 

He says, even if there is not war in those countries, it is still a very unfortunate situation for citizens.

 

Alioune Tine: The rules of democracy and elections are not very fair and we have poverty.Presidents who are a long time in power their countries have some problems. I think time is up for United Nations and the African Union to be very narrowly implicated in the civil society of Africa.

 

While prospects¹⁹ for democratic progress look bleak²⁰ in 2005, Mr. Tine says 2004 was encouraging.

 

The year ended with presidential elections - deemed free and fair - both in Niger and Ghana.

 

Nico Colombant, VOA news, Abidjan.

 

注释：

CAR =Central African Republic 中非共和国

allegation [7Ali5^eiFEn] n. 主张，断言，辩解

handpick [5hAnd5pikt] adj. 精选的，凭个人挑选的，偏心挑选的

barred [bB:d] adj. 隔绝的，被禁止的

default [di5fC:lt] n. 食言，不履行责任，[律]缺席

reintegration [5ri:5inti^reiFEn] n. 再重新完整，复兴

repatriation [9ri:pAtri5eiFEn] n. 遣送回国，归国

logistics [lE5dVistiks] n. 后勤学，后勤

eligibility [elidVE5bility] n. 适任，合格

bleak [bli:k] adj. 荒凉的，凄凉的，黯淡的

1 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

2 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

3 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。

4 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。

5 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

9 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

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 repatriation   

n.遣送回国，归国

参考例句：

• The Volrep programme is the preferred means of repatriation. 政府认为自愿遣返计划的遣返方法较为可取。 来自互联网
• Arrange the cargo claiming and maritime affairs,crews repatriation,medical treatment,traveling so on. （六）洽办货物理赔，船舶海事处理，办理船员遣返，就医，旅游等。 来自互联网

12 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

13 eligibility   

n.合格，资格

参考例句：

• What are the eligibility requirements? 病人被选参加试验的要求是什么？ 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
• Eligibility for HINARI access is based on gross national income (GNI). 进入HINARI获取计划是依据国民总收入来评定的。

14 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

15 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

16 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

17 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

18 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

19 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

20 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。