2007年VOA标准英语-Ukraine Voters Go to Polls Again

By Jeff Swicord
Washington
27 September 2007
 

After five months of political infighting, Ukraine will once again try to elect a parliamentary government.  VOA's Jeff Swicord reports on what has been a difficult road to democracy in the former Soviet¹ republic.

Ukrainians go to the polls Sunday, 30 September, in yet another attempt to break the deadlock² that has consumed the political process since the Orange Revolution in 2004.  This round of parliamentary elections once again pits the pro-Western party of President Viktor Yushchenko against the Russia-leaning party of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. 

Analysts³ agree that offering voters the same choices for the third national vote in three years will not resolve differences. When asked if the elections will resolve the current political crisis, Marta Matselioukh with the pro-democracy U.S. Ukraine Foundation says she is an optimist⁴, but there is no denying the political divide. "Some analysts believe that even though the elections are held on September 30th the results will not be found out for a long time afterward⁵.  Especially since the parties do have the right to dispute the results in court," she says.

The 2004 Orange Revolution marked what many hoped would be the transformation⁶ of Ukrainian politics.  Pro-Western Mr. Yushchenko and sometime ally Yulia Tymoshenko defeated rival Viktor Yanukovych in the rerun of a rigged election that brought protesters into the streets of Kyiv.

Mr. Yanukovych was later elected prime minister in 2006.  Then in April of this year, President Yushchenko dissolved the parliament and called for new elections, but they have been postponed⁷ several times.  Jan Neutze with The Atlantic Council says the political infighting is also affecting Ukraine's credibility abroad at a time when it is seeking European Union membership. "If Ukraine repeats its performance of last year, where it took the country about five months to form a government, I think it runs the risk of truly losing its international credibility."

Politicians have tried to steer⁸ the debate toward social welfare and corruption⁹.  Government statistics put the average income at $250 a month.  The economy has continued to grow at over 7 percent in the last year.

A poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology indicates that 33 percent of voters favor Mr. Yanukovych, 12 percent support Mr. Yushchenko and 23 percent back Ms. Tymoshenko's pro-democracy block.  If those numbers mirror the final vote, coalition¹⁰ negotiations¹¹ will be necessary to form a ruling party.  Many expect them to be fierce.  Jan Neutze with The Atlantic Council adds, "Depending on the strength of the individual players, they will determine the coalition and clearly you will have a coalition government.  The scenarios¹² are almost equally likely.  So that is what makes Ukraine such an interesting country to work on."

1 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。

2 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。

5 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

6 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

7 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

8 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

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 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。

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

12 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓