VOA标准英语2009年-Afghan Presidential Challenger Withdraws,

By Sean Maroney
Islamabad
01 November 2009

 
Abdullah Abdullah, former Afghan FM speaking with journalists after a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, 21 Oct 2009
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah says he will not participate in this week's runoff election against President Hamid Karzai. He accused the government of not meeting his demands for a fair vote.

Abdullah says that his withdrawal¹ is in protest of what he called the misconduct of the government and the country's Independent Election Commission.

The former foreign minister had given President Karzai until Saturday to remove the country's top election official in an effort to avoid a repeat of the massive fraud that marred² the August 20 presidential election.

The Saturday deadline passed without any action from Mr. Karzai.

Following his announcement Sunday, Abdullah had a request for his supporters.

"Not to take to the streets. Not to feel grief. I know it is difficult," Abdullah said. "After all, this is not [a] democratic environment. But at the same time, it is for a good cause. It is for the future generations of this country."

Waheed Omar, a spokesman for President Karzai's campaign, said they believe the election is the right of the Afghan people.

"The withdrawal was Dr. Abdullah's personal choice. That should not affect the process as a whole," Omar said.

The United Nations spokesman in Afghanistan, Aleem Siddique, told VOA Abdullah's decision was a difficult one. He praised the candidate for his conduct throughout the election and said it is up to Afghan authorities to determine how to proceed.

"We need to wait to hear from Afghanistan's legal institutions - the Independent Election Commission and the Supreme³ Court - to give their interpretation⁴ of the next steps ahead," Siddique said.

Afghan election officials say that according to the country's constitution, the election must continue. A spokesman for the election commission also told VOA that Abdullah had missed the deadline to officially withdraw. 

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

3 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。

4 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。