VOA标准英语2009年-Opponents File Legal Challenge Against Gab

By Scott Stearns
Dakar
18 September 2009

Opponents of Gabon's President-elect Ali Ben Bongo want the country's constitutional court to annul¹ the results of last month's vote. They are alleging² massive fraud.

 
Andre Mba Obame
 
Former Interior Minister Andre Mba Obame says he has come to the "incontestable conclusion" that last month's vote was false because of what he calls massive fraud orchestrated by electoral officials to benefit President-elect Bongo.

So he says Gabon's constitutional court should annul those results and overturn Mr. Bongo's victory.

Obame says what the lawsuit³ is asking of the constitutional court is very simple: all of the results from each of the 2815 polling stations should be re-examined to reveal truthfully what happened. Obame says the Gabonese people have the right for the constitutional court to show them that respect.

Official results from the August 30 election show Mr. Bongo winning nearly 42 percent of the vote. Obame finished a distant second with about 26 percent. Long-time opposition⁴ candidate Pierre Mamboundou came third with about 25 percent.

Mamboundou and several other opposition candidates are joining Obame in asking the constitutional court to annul Mr. Bongo's election because they say they have found evidence of fraud in more than two-thirds of the polling station results they have analyzed⁵.

The court has one month to consider the request. But opposition candidates are complaining to reporters that they have seen a letter from the foreign ministry⁶ inviting⁷ diplomats⁸ to the president-elect's swearing-in this coming Monday.

 
Ali Bongo greets supporters in Libreville after being declared winner of bitter presidential election in Gabon, 03 Sep 2009
Mr. Bongo is the son of Gabon's long-time ruler Omar Bongo, who died in June after 42 years in power. His death raised expectations of change in Gabon, even though his son was considered the front-runner from the start.

The announcement of another ruling-party victory sparked violent protests in the city of Port Gentil, where opposition demonstrators burned the French Consulate⁹ and attacked offices of French and U.S. oil companies. Port Gentil has been under an overnight curfew since that violence.

Opposition efforts to organize nationwide strikes this week failed. Most electoral observers say they believe the vote was fair despite irregularities that included the absence of opposition representatives during vote counting in some polling stations.

 

1 annul   

v.宣告…无效，取消，废止

参考例句：

• They have the power to alter or annul inappropriate decisions of their own standing committees.他们有权改变或者撤销本级人民代表大会常务委员会不适当的决定。
• The courts later found grounds to annul the results,after the king urged them to sort out the "mess".在国王敦促法庭收拾烂摊子后，法庭随后宣布废除选举结果。

2 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

3 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

4 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。

5 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

8 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。