VOA常速英语2008年-Early Returns in Pakistan Election Indicate Big

By Barry Newhouse
Islamabad
19 February 2008

 Political allies of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf are conceding defeat in Monday's general elections. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad that early results indicate sweeping¹ gains for opposition² parties in the national and provincial³ assemblies.

Early results in the national assembly elections indicate the Pakistan People's Party in the lead with the largest number of seats, edging out Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League.

President Pervez Musharraf's PML-Q party is a distant third.  Religious parties, which had comprised a majority of the opposition in the previous parliament, appeared to fare poorly in early returns.

Chaudhry Shujat Hussain is the chairman of President Pervez Musharraf's PML-Q party and ran for a seat representing his family's political stronghold in Gujarat.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, he conceded that his party had lost its majority in parliament.

He says he accepts the results because it is the decision of the people and he says the decision of the people is always right.  He says his party is ready to accept its role as the new opposition.

Pakistani media have portrayed⁴ the results as a stinging rebuke⁵ of President Musharraf and his political allies.  A Newspaper headline declares "Democracy Takes Revenge" and private television channels ran footage of defeated PML-Q politicians who had guaranteed victory just days ago. 

Supporters of slain⁶ former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto danced in the streets in the party's political strongholds, across the country.

Officials with the Pakistan People's Party say they are still waiting for final results from the election commission before declaring victory, but that the early results are encouraging.

Raza Rabbani is a senior PPP politician and the opposition leader in Pakistan's senate. He says there are some reports of rigging, but overall, the election appears to be credible⁷.

"By and large I would say it is a reflection of the sentiment of the people," he said.  "It has turned out to be a referendum against the policies of General Musharraf."

Pakistan's election commission slowly released official results, throughout Tuesday. Officials say the results from most voting precincts could be known as early as Tuesday night.

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 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。

3 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

4 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

6 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

7 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？