VOA标准英语 Civilian Politicians Oppose Elections by Mauritanian

Political opponents of Mauritania's military government say they will demonstrate against plans for new elections in June. The military says it will not allow unauthorized protests.
　
Mauritania's military ruler Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (File)

Now that he has declared his candidacy to run for president in elections he has scheduled for June, military ruler General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is appealing to voters to take part in a ballot¹ his political opponents are boycotting³.

General Aziz says he his committed to organizing free and fair elections June 6. He says he will resign his military commission within the next few weeks and, in keeping with the constitution, allow the president of the Senate to run the country until the election. This he says will both prevent a power vacuum and respect the rule of law.

General Aziz came to power last August in a coup⁴ that toppled Mauritania's first freely-elected leader, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. General Aziz has ignored African Union demands to reinstate President Abdallahi, saying that would not serve the greater interests of the Mauritanian people.

Instead, he says allowing retired⁵ soldiers to run in the June elections better reflects what he calls Mauritania's "new political and cultural reality."

President Abdallahi says he will not take part in that vote and is urging his supporters to boycott² the ballot. The U.S.-based National Democratic Institute will not monitor the vote because it says the ballot is a unilateral decision and unconstitutional.

The vice⁶ president of the opposition⁷ Assembly of Democratic Forces says pro-democracy advocates will protest the military's plans for elections by organizing demonstrations⁸ in the capital, Nouakchott.

Mohamed Mahmoude Ould Lematte says there must first be an independent electoral commission in Mauritania. He is not opposed to the military taking part in the vote but says there should be a national union government instead of a one-sided election that validates⁹ those responsible for the coup.

Unless military rulers agree to those changes, the coalition¹⁰ of Mauritanian opposition parties plans a series of demonstrations against the vote.

The governor of Nouakchott says those protests are unauthorized and will not be allowed to disrupt campaigning. The military banned public demonstrations shortly after the coup but has since allowed several opposition rallies, including a protest at a stadium in the capital this week where the president of the Assembly of Democratic Forces, Ould Dadah described June's vote as "a violation¹¹ of power and a degradation¹² of democracy."

1 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。

2 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

3 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

4 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 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。

8 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

9 validates   

v.证实( validate的第三人称单数 )；确证；使生效；使有法律效力

参考例句：

• Other research validates that when it comes to chocolate, type does matter. 其他的研究也证实了不同种类的巧克力确实功效不同。 来自互联网
• Trouble shoots equipment, review and validates data and complete reports. 管理错误描述设备，审查并确认试验数据，完成试验报告。 来自互联网

10 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。

11 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

12 degradation   

n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变

参考例句：

• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
• Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。