VOA常速英语2008年-Mugabe, Two Challengers Sign On for Zimbabwe Pr

By Peta Thornycroft
Harare
15 February 2008

President Robert Mugabe is now officially the ZANU-PF candidate for the presidential poll on March 29. Peta Thornycroft in Harare reports for VOA, he and two others: opposition¹ leader Morgan Tsvangirai and long time ZANU-PF member and former finance minister Simba Makoni, were sworn in as candidates on Friday.

Only Simba Makoni came to the nomination² court in Harare in person to present his papers to the Zimbabwe Election Commission. His application as an independent was accepted, but his election symbol, a rising sun, was not allowed. No clear reason was given.

Makoni's candidacy means that for the first time, the presidential vote will be split three ways. The winning candidate has to get 51percent of the vote. If none of the candidates gets more than 50 percent, there must be a run-off of between the two candidates with the highest within 21 days.

President Mugabe has always won in the first round. The closest he came was to losing was in 2002, when he claimed to have had a 15 percent advantage over opposition candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai.

An independent investigation³ into that poll, indicated that Tsvangirai should have won the election, but with a tiny majority of only about 70,000 votes.

Now election analysts⁴ say that the entry of Simba Makoni as a presidential candidate could whittle⁵ away Mugabe's support and that for the first time, there may be a second round in the presidential poll.

Around the rest of the country, candidates for parliamentary, senate and local government elections, which will be held on the same day, were sworn in.

The faction⁶ of the MDC led by scientist Arthur Mutambara has agreed to an election alliance with Makoni. Mutambara announced Friday that he will therefore not stand for the presidency⁷, and that his party will not compete with candidates loyal to Makoni in the national and local vote.

The MDC is split into two factions⁸.

For the first time in many years, VOA was able to openly interview ordinary people in the street. Of about 20, mostly men who were only prepared to be interviewed anonymously⁹, two said they would remain loyal to President Mugabe regardless of how much further the economy fell.

The government acknowledged Thursday inflation has topped 66,000 percent, although private sector¹⁰ economists¹¹ believe it is double that figure. This does not worry one of Mugabe's supporters.

"What's going to happen between the three candidates, President Robert Mugabe is going to win, simply because he commands the majority of the supporters in Zimbabwe," the supporter said. "Tsvangirai has been a loser, always, he has become a professional loser. Simba Makoni is too junior in experience and is not known by the people of Zimbabwe, so he can not be leader of this country."

Two young men said they are loyal to Tsvangirai. They said they suspect that Simba Makoni's entry into politics, when he still claimed to belong to ZANU-PF, is a trick to divert votes away from the opposition.

Two men who previously¹² in the construction industry, said they are miserable¹³ because they are not registered as voters because Makoni entered the race so late they could not get identification cards in time to become registered. They said they support Makoni and for the first time believe there is a candidate in the race who can stop Mugabe.

Four people selling artifacts in the street said elections were a waste of time as they would be rigged, and two newspaper vendors¹⁴ said people would now be confused by three candidates and this would help Mugabe.

A group of foreign currency dealers¹⁵ on the pavement in Harare said they will go and listen to both Makoni and Tsvangirai and see which had the best message. They said they will not vote for President Mugabe.

One man, visibly shocked at the sight of individuals being openly interviewed on the streets, interrupted saying it was not fair to interview Zimbabweans on the streets.

1 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。

2 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 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。

5 whittle   

v.削（木头），削减；n.屠刀

参考例句：

• They are trying to whittle down our salaries.他们正着手削减我们的薪水。
• He began to whittle away all powers of the government that he did not control.他开始削弱他所未能控制的一切政府权力。

6 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

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 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

9 anonymously   

ad.用匿名的方式

参考例句：

• The manuscripts were submitted anonymously. 原稿是匿名送交的。
• Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 536 teachers anonymously. 方法采用自编“中小学教师职业压力问卷”对536名中小学教师进行无记名调查。

10 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

11 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

13 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

14 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

15 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。