2006年VOA标准英语-Rains, Violence Disrupt DRC Polls

By Nico Colombant
Kinshasa
29 October 2006

Security forces have had to intervene in several parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, after voting for presidential and provincial¹ elections was broken up by rioting. In the west of the country, there was low turnout initially² because of heavy rains.

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Voting in Congo  
  
Election officials tried to mop away flooding inside polling centers, as heavy rains that lasted until midday reduced the number of voters.

One of the first to vote, at six in the morning, Blaise Kayombo, had no lines to deal with.

He says he is thankful for this election, after 16 years of political transition, started during a dictatorship, and broken up several times by war, that he can finally choose a president.

He says, even if the election is not perfect, it is about time Congolese decide for themselves who their leader should be.

His choice was between the military-installed son of a former coup³ leader, transitional President Joseph Kabila, and a former Uganda-backed rebel, Jean-Pierre Bemba.

The first of the two to vote was Mr. Kabila, but he made no comment to reporters.
 
 
Jean-Pierre Bemba facing uphill battle in Congo elections
  
Several hours later, Bemba arrived at a polling center nearby, with his own supporters, as well as with many armed militias⁴. All he said was that he was feeling very well.

A failed first-round candidate now supporting Bemba, Oscar Kashala, accused Mr. Kabila's supporters of buying off votes in the central mining city of Tshikapa.

"As I am talking to you, I was with Tshikapa on the line. There are a number of people who have money in their pockets, who are there because they want to buy the votes for the people," he said. "This is not acceptable at all. It is not acceptable in Washington, it is not acceptable in Paris, London. It should not be acceptable here."

There was rioting there, as well as in the northern town of Bumba, after an election official was accused of stuffing pre-marked ballots⁵ in favor of Mr. Kabila. Police intervened in both cases.

Joseph Kabila during voting  
  
Kabila campaign officials were not available for comment.

The 35-year-old got 45 percent of the vote in the first round, mostly in the east, and built alliances with the third- and fourth-place finishers, after having failed to win outright⁶.

Congolese journalists and diplomats⁷ said Mr. Bemba's cause was not being helped by the heavy rains and low turnout in the west, where he got most of his votes, with an overall score of 20 percent, during the first round.

Deadly clashes between rival armed groups marked the release of first-round results and the final hours of campaigning for the second round.

Nearly 20,000 international peacekeepers are deployed⁸ across the huge mineral-rich Congo, as well as 40,000 election observers.

1 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

2 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。

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 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

5 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

7 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。