VOA常速英语2007-Kenyan President Dissolves Parliament Before Ele

By Derek Kilner
Nairobi
22 October 2007

Kenya's president has dissolved the country's parliament ahead of elections expected in December. Derek Kilner reports from VOA's Nairobi bureau, a firm date for elections is expected to be announced later this week.

"I hereby dissolve the Ninth Parliament of the Republic of Kenya with immediate¹ effect. I take this opportunity to wish all honorable members well as we return to our constituents³ to receive a new mandate," said President Mwai Kibaki in a televised address.

President Kibaki announced the dissolution of parliament, a move that was widely expected, as it is a necessary first step before a date for presidential and parliamentary elections can be set.

President Kibaki called for transparent⁴ and peaceful elections.

"I also appeal to all political leaders, and Kenyans in general, to ensure that we have peaceful, free, and fair general elections," he added. "It is only through a fair and credible⁵ poll, free of violence and intimidation⁶ that the true verdict of the people will prevail."

While the campaign season has been largely peaceful, there have been scattered⁷ cases of violence around campaign events, and the possibility of further violence remains⁸ a fear.

President Kibaki also used the address to highlight some of the achievements of his first term in office. These include the establishment of a fund for development projects in each parliamentary district, and the creation of a new anti-graft body, the Kenya Anti-Corruption⁹ Commission.

The president is running for the Party of National Unity², and had long been considered the favorite in the race. But in late September, opposition¹⁰ leader Raila Odinga pulled ahead in opinion polls.

Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement, known as ODM, first emerged in 2005 as a coalition¹¹ that successfully opposed a referendum introduced by President Kibaki to change Kenya's constitution. ODM has been able to maintain much of the momentum¹² and visibility it gained during that campaign.

Three surveys published Sunday in the local Nation newspaper all show Odinga leading Kibaki, but by varying margin¹³ from five to 21 percentage points.

Odinga has accused President Kibaki of favoring his Kikuyu tribe, the largest in Kenya, at the expense of other ethnic¹⁴ groups, and of failing to combat corruption, which was a central theme of the president's 2002 campaign.

Odinga also favors instituting a federal system of government. Opponents of the proposal claim that such a system will exacerbate¹⁵ ethnic tensions in the country.

President Kibaki has focused his campaign on his achievements in office, with a particular focus on Kenya's strong record of economic growth.

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

5 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

6 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

7 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 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。

10 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。

11 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

12 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。

13 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

14 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

15 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。