2006年VOA标准英语-Mexican Presidential Election Vote Count Gives

By Greg Flakus
Mexico City
07 July 2006

Felipe Calderon waves to supporters  
  
After a detailed¹ and meticulous² vote count, Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute, known as the IFE, on Thursday released a final report showing ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon with 35.88 percent of the vote and leftist rival Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador with 35.31 percent. But this has not ended the wrangling³ over who won the most contested election in Mexican history. The losing candidate plans to file legal challenges and has called his supporters to a rally on Saturday.

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By the narrowest of margins⁴, just under .6 percent, Felipe Calderon of the ruling National Action Party was shown to be the winner of Mexico's presidential election. Smiling, he came before reporters to provide his reaction.

He expressed his happiness with the outcome and his gratitude⁵ to the more than 40 million Mexicans who voted on Sunday, whether for him or for other candidates. He called for reconciliation⁶, recognizing the need to reach out to the nearly two-thirds of the populace that did not vote for him.

In an earlier interview with the Associated Press, Calderon also suggested he would offer a cabinet post to Lopez Obrador, but it seems unlikely that the man who came in a close second in the official count would entertain such an offer. Instead, Lopez Obrador came before reporters to announce his rejection⁷ of the final vote count.

He said he would legally challenge the result in the Federal Electoral Tribunal, the body established by law for all such disputes. He also said he would rally his supporters Saturday in Mexico City's main plaza⁸, called the Zocalo, and would put pressure on officials to examine evidence of what he called widespread irregularities in the voting process.

Lopez Obrador also criticized the electoral institute for what he called a hurried process of counting. He noted⁹ that officials had until Sunday, under the rules established by law to complete the process, which he said should have been done vote-by-vote.

IFE President Luis Carlos Ugalde, however, said that the law does not call for opening vote boxes and doing a complete recount unless there are indications of some problem. He noted that representatives from every political party and international observers were on hand for the count and that officials followed all procedures established by law.

The law also requires the recount to be complete without pause once it has begun, meaning that the people conducting the count were not even able to sleep until it was complete, something that would have made a prolonged effort lasting¹⁰ until Sunday almost humanly impossible.

Another question that emerged from the process concerned vote results Wednesday night that showed Lopez Obrador over one percentage point ahead, as opposed to the results Thursday morning showing him a half point behind. This was evidently the result of voting tallies¹¹ from the northern Mexican states, where the ruling party has strong support, being counted last. Ruling party officials accused Lopez Obrador representatives of carrying out complaints and maneuvers¹² in many northern states to delay the process there and give the impression that their candidate had an early lead.

The law establishes four days for legal challenges to be presented to the electoral tribunal, which has until the end of August to consider those challenges and make a decision as to their validity. The tribunal must deliver its final pronouncement on who won the election to the House of Deputies, in the Mexican Congress, by September 6.

1 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

2 meticulous   

adj.极其仔细的，一丝不苟的

参考例句：

• We'll have to handle the matter with meticulous care.这事一点不能含糊。
• She is meticulous in her presentation of facts.她介绍事实十分详细。

3 wrangling   

v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The two sides have spent most of their time wrangling over procedural problems. 双方大部分时间都在围绕程序问题争论不休。 来自辞典例句
• The children were wrangling (with each other) over the new toy. 孩子为新玩具（互相）争吵。 来自辞典例句

4 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

5 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

6 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

7 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

8 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

11 tallies   

n.账( tally的名词复数 )；符合；（计数的）签；标签v.计算，清点( tally的第三人称单数 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合

参考例句：

• Cash on hand tallies with the figure in the accounts. 现款跟账上的数目没有出入。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He tallies his own marks. 他把自己的得分记了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句