2006年VOA标准英语-Haiti's Second Round Parliament Election O

By Amelia Shaw
Port-au-Prince
21 April 2006
 
Haitians return to the polls Friday to elect a parliament. The vote is seen as a crucial step in establishing a legitimate¹ democratic government in the politically unstable² Caribbean nation.

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U.N. police officers unload boxes containing election material from a truck in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, April 20, 2006  
  

For the second time this year, Haitians will be turning out to vote for a new government. After electing Rene Preval as president in February, the country will decide the makeup³ of its parliament in second round runoff elections for regional deputies and senators. Though voter turnout is expected to be much lower than in the presidential race, the poll is seen as an important step in reinstating a democratically elected government.

Since former President Jean Bertrand Aristide was forced into exile in 2004 by a violent uprising, Haiti's interim⁴ government, led by Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, has struggled to restore stability and order. More than 8,000 U.N. peacekeepers have been deployed⁵ in Haiti since June of 2004.

United Nations spokesman Damien Onses Cardona says that the logistical preparations are in order, and that the U.N. and Haitian police are confident Friday's vote will be peaceful. He says the elections are an important part of Haiti's political transition.

"I mean the transition is starting now - this was a provisional government, to get the country out of chaos⁶ or almost civil war, to a certain degree of normality," he said. "Now the work really starts, for this you need a president, you need a good government, you need a good parliament, and this is what will happen if tomorrow's elections are a success."

The elections will decide the outcome for 97 deputies and 30 senators.

Cardona says that parliamentary elections can have a major impact on the country's ability to rebuild its democratic institutions and enact⁷ much-needed legal reforms.

"Haiti is a country with a presidential system, which means the president has strong power. But the parliament - there are so many reforms that everybody has been saying the country needs, for months, not just us," said Cardona. "The reform of justice, reform of the penal⁸ criminal code. All these are work of the parliament, not of the president."

The prime minister will be chosen by the parliament, and will serve alongside president-elect Rene Preval.

1 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。

2 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

3 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

4 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

5 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。

6 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

7 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

8 penal   

adj.刑罚的；刑法上的

参考例句：

• I hope you're familiar with penal code.我希望你们熟悉本州法律规则。
• He underwent nineteen years of penal servitude for theft.他因犯了大窃案受过十九年的苦刑。