2006年VOA标准英语-Venezuelan Presidential Election Ends

By Michael Bowman
Caracas
03 December 2006

Polls have closed in Venezuela, where voters were deciding whether socialist¹ President Hugo Chavez deserved another six-year term in the oil-rich nation. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Caracas, official results are expected early Monday.

Hugo Chavez voting in Caracas

Voters turned out en masse at polling stations across the country. Despite long lines and long waiting times, most voters, like Caracas resident Gaby Prieto, maintained a cheerful attitude.

She said, "I have been here since just after nine o'clock this morning, and I still have not made it inside to vote. But I am calm. The line is slow, but we can withstand the wait a little longer."

The mother of a two- year-old girl, Prieto said she would vote for opposition² candidate Manuel Rosales, who temporarily stepped down as governor of petroleum-producing Zulia state to pursue the presidency³.

She says, "I think we need a change. The things that are happening in the country are not positive." She says, "Thinking about my daughter's future, I want her to be able to live here in peace. We have to work for a better quality of life."

Across town, in a poorer section of Caracas, retiree Maribel Sanchez proudly displayed a purple ink-stained finger showing she had voted. Sanchez said she cast her ballot⁴ for President Chavez, a man she credits with public assistance programs launched by the government in recent years.

She said, "I think we have to be grateful for President Chavez' good heart. First of all, he is a great humanitarian⁵. His concern is always for those who have been cast aside. I am so happy to have him as president. He mobilizes the people."

Aside from delays, relatively⁶ few irregularities were reported, as balloting⁷ went forward. Most delays were blamed on a fingerprint⁸ identity verification system, which created bottlenecks⁹ at some locales, and completely froze the lines at others.

After voting in his home state, opposition candidate Rosales denounced some cases where people reported that their vote had not been recorded on a paper receipt, after electronically casting their ballots¹⁰. He also criticized the fingerprint system.

He said, "The voting process should go faster. People are upset because machines have frozen. These fingerprint machines are useless. They cause anguish¹¹, and they disrupt the electoral process."

Information Minister Willian Lara responded to the criticism.

He said, "There are some, who know that they are not favored to win. They are nervous and desperate, and they make unwarranted complaints. But, we have to work together and understand that, in a democracy, we must accept the will of the majority."

President Chavez, who has pledged to continue his so-called "Bolivarian Revolution," if given another term in office, voted in Caracas with little fanfare¹², and then retired¹³ to the presidential palace to await the results. First elected in 1998, he survived a short-lived coup¹⁴ attempt in 2002 as well as a recall referendum in 2004.

More than 70 percent of Venezuela's 16 million eligible¹⁵ voters were expected to cast ballots under the watchful¹⁶ eye of representatives from both candidates, as well as observers from the Organization of American States, the European Union, Mercorsur and the Atlanta-based Carter Center.

Most pre-election polls favored the president, but Rosales predicted that late momentum¹⁷ in the campaign would propel him to victory.

1 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

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 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。

4 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。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

7 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

8 fingerprint   

n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹

参考例句：

• The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
• The court heard evidence from a fingerprint expert.法院听取了指纹专家的证词。

9 bottlenecks   

n.瓶颈( bottleneck的名词复数 )；瓶颈路段（常引起交通堵塞）；（尤指工商业发展的）瓶颈；阻碍

参考例句：

• Roadworks are causing bottlenecks in the city centre. 道路施工导致市中心交通阻塞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At five o'clock in the afternoon the city streets are a series of bottlenecks. 下午五点市中心的街道就成了拥挤不堪的窄路。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 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》

11 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

12 fanfare   

n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布

参考例句：

• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide.这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King.嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

13 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

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 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

16 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

17 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。