VOA标准英语 Polls Close in Algerian Election Boycotted by Opposi

Polls have closed in Algeria where some opposition¹ parties boycotted³ presidential balloting⁵ because electoral laws were changed to allow Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run for a third term. Meanwhile, two police officers were injured in a bomb blast outside the capital.
　
Woman walks past voting center in Algiers as students queue to vote in presidential election, 09 Apr 2009

Algeria's interior ministry⁶ says the policemen were injured in the town of Naceria, some 50 kilometers east of Algeris in an explosion blamed on Islamic militants⁷. Security forces defused two other bombs at the scene.

Al-Qaida's North Africa wing told voters to boycott² the election. The group has attacked Algerian security forces since the military canceled the second round of parliamentary elections in 1992, when it appeared that a coalition⁸ of Islamist groups might take power.

Election observers say a dozen opposition supporters burned down a polling station and closed two others in the Bouira District on Thursday. The district governor says the two stations closed were later reopened by security forces. Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni told reporters the government regrets the incident, but that it will not affect the election.

Two of Algeria's leading opposition parties are boycotting⁹ the ballot⁴, including the Movement for Culture and Democracy, which says it is mourning the death of democracy.

Student Abderazake Ipersia says he did not vote because he has lost faith in the country's politicians.

Ipersia says politicians have failed to deliver on promises to improve the quality of life. He says many young people would rather risk death by leaving the county illegally than stay in Algeria.

While President Bouteflika faced little serious opposition, he campaigned hard, hoping for a big turn-out to validate¹⁰ his efforts at national reconciliation¹¹ and economic reconstruction¹².

His final campaign speeches focused on national security. But he also addressed broader social issues by promising¹³ to create 3,000,000 new jobs, raise the minimum wage, build more affordable¹⁴ housing and write-off debts owed by farmers.

Officially running as an independent, the 72-year-old veteran of the fight against French colonialism is backed by Algeria's three largest political parties, which together control more than 80 percent of the seats in parliament.

President Bouteflika's five opponents include two nationalist candidates, two moderate Islamists and the nation's first female presidential contender.

Louisa Hanoune of the Algerian Workers' Party told reporters that recent elections have been marred¹⁵ by vote fraud and that the country can no longer tolerate it.

Chadili Nefati led the election observer mission from the Arab League.

Nefati says his delegation¹⁶ visited many polling stations in the capital and found that the vote was conducted according to the law, with good security and order.

Interior Minister Zerhouni is expected to announce the winner on Friday. Most political observers expect President Bouteflika to win far more than the 50 percent of the vote required to avoid a second round of balloting.

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 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 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

4 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。

5 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 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。

9 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。

10 validate   

vt.（法律）使有效，使生效

参考例句：

• You need an official signature to validate the order.你要有正式的签字，这张汇票才能生效。
• In order to validate the agreement,both parties sign it.为使协议有效，双方在上面签了字。

11 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

12 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

13 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

14 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

15 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。

16 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。