2006年VOA标准英语-No Runaway Winner in Peru's Presidential C

By Michael Bowman
Lima, Peru
10 April 2006

Partial election results in Peru are showing a tight three-way presidential contest that all but assures a second round of balloting² to determine a final winner. Ultra-nationalist Ollanta Humala appears to be the top vote-getter, but the second-place finisher is too close to call.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Ollanta Humala and wife, Nadine Heredia wave to supporters in Lima, Sunday  
  

Euphoric backers of Ollanta Humala threw an informal party in Peru's capital, as partial election results placed their candidate on top with nearly 30 percent of the vote. Coming in a close second were center-right attorney Lourdes Flores and former President Alan Garcia, with only a fraction of a percentage point separating the two.

If anything, Humala's modest lead is expected to grow as more results are reported, given that his strongest support lies in remote rural regions that are often slow to provide polling numbers.

An ex-military officer who has pledged to exert greater control over transnational corporations, Humala struck a conciliatory tone as he addressed supporters.

"I want to ask everyone that we receive these results with great humility," he said. "The Peruvian people have expressed their desire for change: putting the economy at the service of the people."

So close are the election results that officials are warning it could be days before it is known with absolute certainty which candidates will take part in a second round of balloting, next month.

Late Sunday, Alan Garcia expressed optimism that he would be one of the two finalists, and urged his supporters to act in with prudence³. Garcia's first term, in the late 1980's, was marked by hyper-inflation and corruption⁴. But he has told voters he learned from his mistakes and is ready to lead once again.

Lourdes Flores waves to supporters in front of her campaign headquarters in Lima   
  
Lourdes Flores, who wants to promote economic expansion by focusing on small businesses, acknowledged the uncertainty⁵ surrounding election results.

She says all she knows for certain is that there will be a second ballot¹, Still, she says she is confident and asks her supporters to remain calm.

Flores aims to become Peru's first female president and her candidacy has appears to have captured the imagination of a significant number of women in this socially-conservative, often male-dominated nation.

One young female supporter could not contain her disappointment that Flores is not projected to finish first.

"Why, why is this happening, if the women are supporting her? Why are people so ignorant, so stupid, that they do not see reality -- that Lourdes is the only option, the only solution?" she asks.

The three top vote-getters have all promised to tackle Peru's high poverty rates, but have very different prescriptions⁶ for doing so. Lima law professor and political analyst⁷ Walter Alban sees a call for change in the country, but says this change is not well defined.

Most polling stations reported calm Sunday, with one notable exception: scores of demonstrators surrounded a Lima university building where Ollanta Humala cast his ballot, hurling⁸ insults and debris⁹. Riot police were eventually called in to escort the candidate from the locale.

1 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。

2 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

3 prudence   

n.谨慎，精明，节俭

参考例句：

• A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。
• The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

6 prescriptions   

药( prescription的名词复数 )； 处方； 开处方； 计划

参考例句：

• The hospital of traditional Chinese medicine installed a computer to fill prescriptions. 中医医院装上了电子计算机来抓药。
• Her main job was filling the doctor's prescriptions. 她的主要工作就是给大夫开的药方配药。

7 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。

8 hurling   

n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动，把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了，真是个傻姑娘！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。