VOA标准英语2008年-Pakistan Presidential Election Scheduled for Se

Pakistan's election commission has announced that the parliament and the country's four provincial¹ assemblies will elect a new president on September 6. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad that the election to replace former president Pervez Musharraf, who resigned this week, is likely to test the country's fragile coalition² government.
　
Pervez Musharraf (18 Aug 2008 file photo)

Pakistan's president has historically been a largely ceremonial official, but former President Musharraf changed the constitution to give the office holder³ broad powers, including the ability to dismiss parliament.

Provincial and national lawmakers effectively banded together in recent weeks to force the powerful president to resign, but since then there are signs that their unity⁴ may not survive the election to replace him.

Who will succeed Musharraf?

Several politicians have emerged as possible successors to Musharraf, including the leader of the country's largest political party, the Pakistan People's Party, Asif Ali Zardari. Other political factions⁵ have named Zardari's sister or the current speaker of the National Assembly, who is also a woman. Minority partners in the coalition government have lobbied for prominent leaders from the volatile⁶ provinces of Balochistan or the North West Frontier.

Pakistan's election commission says candidates for the election must register by Tuesday.

Restoration of judges fired last year

Within Pakistan, the issue of replacing Mr. Musharraf has been overshadowed by the coalition government's failure to agree on whether it will restore the more than 40 top judges he fired last year.
　
Pakistani ruling coalition leader, Nawaz Sharif, right, leaves joint⁷ press conference in Islamabad, 22 Aug 2008

Political leaders have said the deal to unite against the former president was based on an agreement that the judges would be reinstated 24 hours after the president had resigned. Four days later, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said political leaders are still working to implement⁸ the deal.

He says a draft resolution should be presented before the National Assembly on Monday. He says it will be debated, but Wednesday must be the day for the restoration of the judiciary.

The former prime minister has threatened to quit the PPP-led coalition unless the judges, including the former Supreme⁹ Court Chief Jutice Iftikar Muhammad Chaudhry, are not restored. It is widely believed the PPP is reluctant to restore the justices because they could undo¹⁰ a legal amnesty that dismissed corruption¹¹ charges against some PPP leaders.

A spokesman for the former Chief Justice, whose legal battles with Pervez Musharraf were credited with sparking the movement that eventually led to the president's resignation, said Friday he was disappointed that yet another deadline for restoring the judges has passed.

 

1 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。

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 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 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

6 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

9 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

10 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

11 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。