VOA常速英语2008年-Russian Presidential Candidate Medvedev Not a P

By Anya Ardayeva
Moscow
28 February 2008
 

Russians are preparing to go to the polls Sunday to elect their next president. But out of four candidates competing for the post, Kremlin-backed Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is the overwhelming favorite to win. Yet how much do the Russians actually know about the man who is likely to become their next president aside from the fact that he is supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin? Anya Ardayeva has this report from Moscow.  

If he wins the upcoming presidential election on March 2, which is almost a foregone conclusion, the 42-year-old Dmitri Medvedev will become the youngest Russian leader since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.

And yet - he is a man who has never been a professional politician.

Lilia Shevtsova, with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says,"So far, Mr. Medvedev, really to some extent, he was Mr. Nobody, when we are talking about public politics. He is a very good manager that we know for sure. He's been pretty effective with his own business. He is a very good apparatchik (bureaucrat), he is a very good manager."

Critics accuse the current Russian leadership of destroying the free media and democratic institutions. In spite of that - or maybe because opposition¹ voices have been silenced here - polls show public trust for Vladimir Putin at more than 70 percent.

And Dmitri Medvedev's popularity is soaring as well.  According to recent polls, two thirds of Russian citizens say they trust Medvedev as a politician - because they trust Vladimir Putin. The Deputy Prime Minister even refused to join the other three presidential candidates in televised debates.

Analyst² Evgeni Volk from the Heritage Foundation added, "For Putin, Medvedev is the most loyal candidate for Putin, they've been working together for almost two decades. And he is the man who owes his professional and political career to Putin only."

However, if elected, Dmitri Medvedev isn't likely to enjoy the full reigns³ of power as Vladimir Putin did. The current Russian president has repeatedly said he would like to stay in power - and might become the country's Prime Minister after his second term expires in March.

"Already we know who is going to be the boss at the Kremlin,” Shevtsova said, “The problem is that we still do not know who is going to rule Russia. We still do not know what would be the rules of the game."

If he becomes president, Medvedev will inherit a country, which has seen an unprecedented⁴ inflow of money from high oil prices. However, problems - such as high inflation - remain.  Economists⁵ predict inflation could rise by 15% this year -- despite a state-mandated price freeze on consumer staples⁶, such as bread, milk, sunflower oil and eggs.

 "And this is a very serious complication for Medvedev, because the growth of state spending, which is taking place right now, will make itself known in 4-5 months when Medvedev will be in power,” Volk said, “And these problems that Medvedev will have during the first months of his presidency⁷ can damage his image and his popularity because inflation will grow."

Many Russians say they will vote for Dmitri Medvedev because of Vladimir Putin - who they believe has brought stability to this country.

But Evgeni Volk says if Dmitri Medvedev is forced to deal with economic problems left from his predecessor⁸, he might have to choose his own path, "When some people come to power, history shows us that they can change dramatically. And what looks like full loyalty⁹ of Medvedev towards Putin can change," he said.

Vladimir Putin himself is a perfect example.  He was brought to power in 1999 by Boris Yeltsin, who opened up the country to democratic reforms.  But Mr. Putin has rolled back many of those reforms to such an extent, say his critics, that it will take years to revive democratic institutions in Russia. 

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 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。

3 reigns   

n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期

参考例句：

• In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首，但不治国事。 来自辞典例句

4 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

5 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》

6 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

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 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

9 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。