VOA标准英语2009年-Afghan President Karzai Confronts Two Riva

Three candidates in the Afghan presidential election, including incumbent¹ President Hamid Karzai, have faced off in a nationally broadcast debate. It was the first time a sitting president has participated in such an election debate.
　
An Afghan girl watches the presidential candidates' live debate on television, 16 Aug, 2009

Just hours before official campaigning ended, President Karzai debated two challengers in the first such event in which he agreed to participate. But former foreign minister and presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah did not attend, denying Afghan voters a chance to assess head-to-head the top two contenders.

Also on stage in Kabul with the president were former planning minister Ramazan Bashardost and a former finance minister, Ashraf Ghani.

The president was relatively² subdued³ in defending the record of his seven years in office. He touted⁴ his performance in creating jobs, improving the economy and giving more Afghans an opportunity for education, especially women.

He said he believes his experience, patience, tolerance⁵ and vision can be of service to Afghanistan for another five years. But Mr. Karzai acknowledged the lack of security, development and prosperity in the country.
　
Hamid Karzai (File photo)

Looking ahead, the president told Afghans that, with the strengthening of the country's army, the role of the 100,000 foreign forces in Afghanistan can be reduced.

Mr. Karzai says, over the next three to 10 years, the operations by the NATO-led and U.S. forces will decline, and Afghans will be in control. But he said, in some unstable⁶ regions, the presence of the foreign troops is needed and welcome.

Bashardost, who runs his campaign out of a tent on the side of a highway, has surged into third place in the most recent opinion polls of likely voters. He contends he is the ideal candidate to bring about peace because he is the candidate of the people, including those who are fighting against the state.
　
Ashraf Ghani (File photo)

The French-educated anti-corruption campaigner says all candidates have promised to talk with the Taliban, but the real question is would the Taliban agree to communicate with them?

Ghani, a former executive of the World Bank, criticized the Karzai administration for putting warlords in power and not bringing about stability, despite pouring huge amounts of money into the police force.

Ghani terms the police as more resembling a corrupt⁷ militia⁸ than a respected law enforcement agency.

The debate was organized and broadcast by both the state TV channel, Radio Free Afghanistan and Radio Azadi, which is funded by the U.S. Congress. The event also aired live on the frequencies of VOA's Afghan Service.

Afghanistan goes to the polls Thursday for the first presidential election in five years. Several dozen candidates are on the presidential ballot⁹.

If no candidate captures 50 percent of the ballots¹⁰ in the first round, a runoff election will be held between the top two finishers.

1 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

2 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

3 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

4 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

5 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

6 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

7 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

8 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

9 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。

10 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》