2007年VOA标准英语-Global Challenges to Democracy Discussed at Con

By Sean Maroney
Washington
28 March 2007
 
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Challenges to democracy in the complex world of the 21st century are the topic of a week-long conference that opened in Washington Tuesday.  Sponsored by the Global Electoral Organization, the meeting discusses the democratic process in dozens of countries around the world.  VOA's Sean Maroney reports from the "Every Vote Counts" conference.

 
A woman touches the screen of a computerized voting machine to choose her candidates
A woman touches the screen of a computerized voting machine to choose her candidates
More than 200 election officials and experts from 67 countries are in Washington for a meeting of the Global Electoral Organization, an international nonprofit group that supports the building of democratic societies.  This year's GEO conference is zooming¹ in on how to use 21st-century progress to enhance the free-election process worldwide.

A senior U.S. State Department official, Undersecretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, says democracy is the best form of government for nations dealing² with important world issues.

 
U.S. State Department Undersecretary Paula Dobriansky
"We think that the evidence is really overwhelming when you take a look at it - that effective democracies are better able than repressive or poorly governed states to deal with global issues such as infectious disease, management of environmental resources, human trafficking and other forms of transnational crime," Dobriansky said.

She points out that an effective democracy is one that develops within a country naturally, and is free from outside pressure.

"Promoting democracy, by the way, doesn't just consist of taking one model, or anyone else's, and basically taking it and planting it on someone else's soil," she added.  "Democracy will and should reflect traditions and realities in each particular country."

 
President of Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute, Luis Carlos Ugalde
Luis Carlos Ugalde, president of Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute, oversaw³ last year's hotly contested presidential election.

The vote capped months of intense campaigning that showed a broad divide between Mexico's rich and poor. Officials had hoped to announce a winner a few hours after polls closed, but it took weeks to get the final vote count.

During that time, backers of the two leading candidates staged rowdy demonstrations⁴, while the Federal Electoral Institute proceeded with its methodical recount of the ballots⁵. Conservative Felipe Calderon ultimately won the presidency⁶ by a narrow margin⁷ over leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Ugalde said this helped strengthen Mexico's democracy. "I think that when a system is put to a test - an extreme test, as it happened in Mexico - you have an opportunity to get the experience, to share the experience and then to promote the changes to the system into the future," he said.

Delegates to the conference are also discussing new issues facing elections, including the impact of technology.

 
Diane Davidson of Elections Canada
Diane Davidson of Elections Canada says her country is working on electronic vote-counting methods similar to those used in some areas of the United States.

She says governments must pay attention to continuing developments in technology and communications, such as the increasing role of online blogs in political debate.

"We know in Canada that parties and candidates increasingly use the Internet for electoral advertising," she says. "This raises the question of whether the time has come to assess the need for regulating its use."

The Internet is playing a big role in the U.S. presidential campaign, which is already under way more than one and a half years before the next nationwide elections. Some candidates are using the Internet to boost their own campaigns, others to undermine their rivals'. And voters, too, are using the Internet to make their preferences public.

1 zooming   

adj.快速上升的v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的过去分词 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨

参考例句：

• Zooming and panning are navigational tools for exploring 2D and 3D information. 缩放和平移是浏览二维和三维信息的导航工具。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Panning and zooming, especially when paired together, create navigation difficulties for users. 对于用户来说，平移和缩放一起使用时，产生了更多的导航困难。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

4 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

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 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。

7 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。