VOA标准英语2008年-UNITA Concedes Defeat in Angolan Legislative El

In Angola, the opposition¹ UNITA party has accepted defeat in the country's legislative² elections, after the electoral commission said that - with nearly 80 percent of the votes counted - the ruling MPLA party was leading with more than 80 percent and the opposition UNITA party was second with 10 percent. VOA's Scott Bobb reports from Luanda.

The head of Angola's main opposition group - Isaias Samakuva of the Union for Total Independence of Angola, UNITA, late Monday night - accepted the results of the Angolan elections on national television.

He says, despite everything that happened, UNITA accepts the results of the elections and hopes the winning party will govern in the interests of all. He also praised Angolan voters for their high participation³, their civic⁴ responsibility and their sacrifices.

Earlier, Samakuva had protested what he said were serious flaws in the voting. But, with most of the votes counted, it had become clear that the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, MPLA, was headed for a landslide⁵ victory.
　
An old Angolan woman casts her ballot⁶ in the popular neighborhood of Samba, 05 Sep 2008

UNITA's concession⁷ also followed reports by international observer groups that the vote, in general, had been free and fair.

The head of the European Union's observer mission, Luisa Morgantini, called the elections a major step forward. She says the EU is convinced the elections were an advance for democracy, despite organizational limitations and certain legal inconsistencies.

Many polling stations opened late on Election Day. Others ran out of ballot papers. And, a few failed to open at all. The problems led election officials to extend voting in 320 centers by a second day, Saturday.

Nevertheless, the European observers said voting was peaceful and tabulation⁸ of the results was transparent⁹.

Observers from the Pan-African Parliamentary Union, the Southern African Community and several other regional organizations agreed.

A network of Angolan observer groups (called Plataforma) that fielded 13-hundred monitors across the country said it recorded six incidents of violence or intimidation¹⁰ and more than 400 other irregularities, mostly because of a lack of voting materials. But, it said there was no evidence of coercion¹¹.

These were the second multi-party elections in Angolan history and the first since a peace accord, six years ago, ended 27 years of civil war mainly between UNITA and the MPLA.

The MPLA ran on a platform of continuity and pledged to devote more revenues from Angola's booming oil industry to rebuild the country's devastated¹² infrastructure¹³, education and health services.

UNITA and 12 other opposition parties campaigned on the need for change after three decades of MPLA rule.

The vote was seen as paving the way for presidential elections, next year, in which President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and UNITA leader Isaias Samakuva are expected to be candidates.

 

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 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

3 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

4 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

5 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

6 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

7 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

8 tabulation   

作表，表格； 表列结果； 列表； 造表

参考例句：

• A tabulation of a function of two variables is cumbersome, but possible. 二元函数的列表法是不方便的，然而是可能的。
• Such a tabulation cannot represent adequately the complex gradation relationships between the types. 这样的图表不能充分代表各类型之间的复杂级配关系。

9 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

10 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

11 coercion   

n.强制，高压统治

参考例句：

• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions.既不诱供也不逼供。
• He paid the money under coercion.他被迫付钱。

12 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

13 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。