VOA常速英语2007年-OSCE Cancels Plan to Monitor Russian Elections

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
16 November 2007

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says it will not monitor parliamentary elections in Russia next month due to official restrictions¹ imposed by that country.  VOA Correspondent Peter Fedynsky has details from Moscow.

A statement issued in Warsaw by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights says attempts to obtain Russian entry visas for its experts and observers have been repeatedly denied.  The statement says the office therefore concludes that Russian authorities remain unwilling² to receive ODIHR observers in a timely and cooperative manner.

ODIHR spokeswoman Urdur Gunnarsdottir tells the VOA the organization was also frustrated³ in its efforts to observe not only on election day, but also the campaign and media coverage⁴ in the lead-up to the polls.  Gunnarsdottir says that with just over two weeks remaining before election day, the OSCE cannot observe the process in a meaningful way.

"It's not an easy decision for us to make," she said.  "We realize that this is going to upset many.  But we don't see that we are able to observe any longer, and we don't see that we have a choice."

A member of the Russian Central Electoral Commission, Igor Borisov says the OSCE decision is "unconstructive."  Borisov tells the VOA it would not have been useful for the OSCE to observe early procedures, such as the registration⁵ of political parties.

Borisov says the commission thought it would be better if OSCE monitoring began after party registration.  He said that would allow the monitors to decide where to observe the actual contenders. He says, why pay attention to the Green Party, for example, which did not succeed in being on the ballot⁶.

Other international observers may still monitor the Russian elections, but without the OSCE there will be fewer overall.

Russia invited 70 OSCE monitors to observe the December 2 elections, compared to 400 in the previous vote in 2003.  All 56 member states of the OSCE, including Russia, are party to a 1990 agreement to invite international observers for election monitoring. 

Russian Foreign Ministry⁷ spokesman Mikhail Kamynin says the country is not dramatizing the OSCE move, adding that elections are a sovereign right of Russia aimed at strengthening the country's democracy.

But in remarks to the VOA, Russian human rights activist⁸ Lev Ponomarev said the OSCE decision hurts Russia's international reputation.

The activist says it is difficult to predict how events unfold. If the OSCE pronounces the elections illegitimate, Ponomarev asks, how can Russia continue to belong to international democratic organizations such as the Group of Eight industrialized nations?

Those nations include the United States, Britain and France, which have always permitted OSCE election monitoring.

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

3 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

5 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

6 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。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。