2007年VOA标准英语-East Timor Prepares to Form Coalition Governmen

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Dili, East Timor
04 July 2007

With the counting from last Saturday's parliamentary elections in East Timor nearly finished, it has become clear that none of the 14 parties has won an outright¹ majority, and deal making has begun as the country heads towards a coalition² government. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins is in the capital, Dili, and brings us this report.

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An electoral worker inspects a ballot paper during the vote counting process in Dili, 4 Jul 2007

Election officials say more than 90 percent of the votes have been counted and that neither the ruling Fretilin party nor the CNRT party of former president Xanana Gusmao have the necessary 51 percent of the total needed to control parliament.

Fretilin has a slight lead of around 8 percent over the CNRT. The election is seen as crucial to bringing stability to the impoverished⁴ nation.

Fretilin chief Mari Alkatiri says his party is already in talks with some of the other parties, but he ruled out any coalition with the CNRT.

The head of the third placed party, the ASDT/PSD, says it wants to form a coalition with CNRT, a move that would place Fretilin in opposition⁵.

Whatever outcome emerges in the days ahead, as both major parties begin deal-making in earnest, Sophia Cason, a Dili-based analyst⁶ with the International Crisis Group, says it will take time for the new government to address the country's urgent problems.

"That's six months away before they even start to address some of the issues," she said. "Definitely, they need to develop a new national plan if they're going to be a new government and decide on the country's priorities…and decide on budgetary priorities and whatnot. But, for me, it's just incredible that none of these parties going into this election really did much in the way of policy development and planning."

With nearly 50 percent unemployment, 40 percent chronic⁷ malnourishment, and serious security issues, the next government will have major challenges ahead.

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East Timorese workers carry sacks of rice at a WFP warehouse in Dili(File Photo)

Nearly 10 percent of East Timor's one million people still live in refugee camps more than a year after fighting between rival security forces degenerated⁹ into gang warfare¹⁰ and looting.

Cason says the people of East Timor will want results quickly, and the new government will need to move quickly to avoid further instability.

"I think there's going to be a lot of disappointment and they're going to have to start delivering fast. There's going to be some tangible¹¹ benefit for independence for the people of Timor," said Cason. "So far there's been very little, and a lot of the opposition parties went into this election making massive promises, and I think people are going to start expecting those to be delivered on pretty soon."

East Timor voted for independence from Indonesian rule in 1999, and, after a period under United Nations supervision¹², became independent in 2002.

1 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

2 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。

3 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。

4 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 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。

7 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

8 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

9 degenerated   

衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The march degenerated into a riot. 示威游行变成了暴动。
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track. 铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。

10 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

11 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

12 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。