VOA标准英语2010年-Constitutional Changes Could Extend Pr

Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, right, greets Guinea presidential frontrunner Cellou Dalein Diallo, 3 Aug 2010

The ruling party in Burkina Faso has called for changing the constitution so its leader and the country's president, Blaise Compaore, can run for office again in November.  The Congress for Democracy and Progress wants to lift two-term limit so the 59-year-old can again be its candidate for head of state.

Mr. Compaore took power in a coup¹ in 1987 when then-president Thomas Sankara was killed.  When Mr. Compaore was elected as president in 1991, a restriction² of two seven-year terms was set, only to be lifted six years later.  President Compaore was re-elected in 1998 and again in 2005.

The current limit of two five-year terms was put in place in 2002 after violent riots occurred following the assassination³ of a prominent journalist.  The president of the Congress for Democracy and Progress party, Roch Marc Christian⁴ Kabore, recently argued that term limits restrict democracy rather than serve it.

Kabore said that all political parties must ensure their candidates are on the ballot⁵, so that is what the Congress for Democracy and Progress is doing.

If the proposed amendment⁶ is passed, it would revise Article 37 of the country's constitution and enable Mr. Compaore to run again in 2015 and extend his presidential rule until 2020.

 

1 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。

2 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

3 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 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。

6 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。