2007年VOA标准英语-Turkmenistan Votes for Presidential Successor

By Lisa McAdams
Moscow
11 February 2007

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Voter casts her ballot at a polling station in Ashgabad, Turkmenistan, 11 Feb 2007

Voters in the isolated², gas-rich Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan are voting for a successor to replace the late president, Saparmurat Niyazov, who died last December. VOA's Lisa McAdams in Moscow reports the current acting³ president, Gurbanguli Berdymukhammedov, is expected to easily defeat his five lesser-known challengers.

By mid-day local time Sunday, Turkmenistan's Central Election Commission declared the election valid⁴, saying more than half the country's registered voters had cast ballots⁵ in the country's first multi-candidate election.

It is impossible to independently confirm the claim as the West's main election monitoring body, the Organization For Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) did not send a team to observe the vote. Nor did the CIS, a loose grouping of former Soviet⁶ Republics.

First results are expected as early as Monday and are believed likely to confirm Acting President Berdymukhammedov the winner. But the Director of the Heritage Foundation's Moscow office, Yevgeni Volk, says he does not think Mr. Berdymukhammedov's assumption of the presidency⁷ will be easy.

"Whoever comes to power, will have to try to re-instate himself as the new leader and it will be very difficult because everyone remembers Turkmenbashi [the late President Saparmurat Niyazov] and his cult⁸ of personality," he said. "And of course there will be a very tough struggle for power among various groups who all believe they are better to rule the country."

Analyst⁹ Volk predicts that whoever wins will not be in power as long as the late president, Niyazov, who ruled the isolated, mostly-Muslim nation for 21 years.

Turkmenistan is of growing interest to Russia and the West because of its huge natural gas reserves and its status as a stable, neutral country bordering both Afghanistan and Iran.

Mr. Berdymukahmmedov has pledged to continue the late president's policies, if elected. He has also hinted about the possibility of slight reforms. But analyst Volk and others say they see little prospect¹⁰ that changes in Turkmenistan will be speedy or far-reaching.

Human Rights Watch has urged Western governments to make clear to Turkmenistan's next government that it will be judged on solid evidence of human rights progress. HRW characterizes Turkmenistan as "one of the most repressive countries in the world," and says the new government must do more to allow political dissent¹¹ and open up the media.

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 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

5 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

7 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

8 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

9 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。

10 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

11 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。