VOA标准英语2010年-Guinea Run-Off Set For September

Presidential candidate and former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo casts his vote in presidential elections in Conakry, Guinea, 27 Jun 2010

Guinean authorities announced Monday that the second round of its landmark¹ presidential poll will take place September 19.  The run-off vote is meant to return the country to civilian² rule after a military coup³ in December 2008.

 

The first round of voting took place June 27.  A run-off between the two top-scoring candidates originally was set for  July 18, but many first-round candidates contested provisional results.  It was only on July 20 that the Supreme⁴ Court overruled those challenges and announced official results.

In the run-off, former prime minister Cellou Dallein Diallo will face long-time opposition⁵ leader Alpha Conde.

Some Guineans, including Prime Minister Jean-Marie Dore, called for the run-off to be pushed until after the month of Ramadan, which begins Wednesday.  Others, including Diallo, had called for the election to take place in August.

Spokesman for Diallo's party, El Hadj Saliou Diallo, says some of the arguments for pushing back the vote - such as the month of Ramadan and the heavy rains seen at this time of year - were correct.  He says what is most important now is that this poll date was chosen by consensus⁶.

Guinean election authorities have said they are working to head off logistical challenges and fix irregularities seen in the first round.

Conde's assistant campaign manager, Kiridi Bangoura, says they are pleased with the announced poll date, as it will allow Guinea to correct flaws and dysfunction seen in the first round.  He says Condo's concern is to ensure that the vote will be honest and that he who wins the most votes will be named president.  Bangor says Conned⁷ wants a free and transparent⁸ election that will bring true democracy to Guinea, and distance the country from any unrest that could lead to civil war.

Many hope the poll will be Guinea's first free and fair presidential poll since independence and will mark an end to more than 50 years of authoritarian⁹ rule in the West African country. 

Both candidates have been building coalitions¹⁰ and galvanizing supporters, but many observers say Dial, who led the first round of voting, has a strong chance of winning.
 

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 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。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 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。

6 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

7 conned   

adj.被骗了v.指挥操舵( conn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Lynn felt women had been conned. 林恩觉得女人们受骗了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was so plausible that he conned everybody. 他那么会花言巧语，以至于骗过了所有的人。 来自辞典例句

8 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

9 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

10 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。