VOA标准英语2010年-Nigerian Legislators Pondering Vote De

A joint¹ committee from Nigeria's Senate and House of Representatives said it accepts the need to delay the vote after the electoral commission asked for more time.

Commission chairman Attahiru Jega told lawmakers that Nigerians aspire² not to go through the process of an election, but to have the outcome of that vote be legitimate³. He said that aspiration⁴ could be compromised if Nigeria keeps to its current electoral timetable - a risk that Jega says should not be taken.

"When you plan, even though you assume the worst, you also need sufficient room for adequate preparation so that if there is any problem there is room for maneuver⁵. But the existing timelines are so tight, and unfortunately the more we miss some of these milestones⁶, the more problematic it becomes in terms of guaranteeing free, fair and credible⁷ elections, and also guaranteeing a credible, fresh voters' register," said Jega.

Changing the timetable means changing Nigeria's constitution and this year's electoral act. So the power to make those changes rests with the National Assembly. Jega thanked lawmakers for considering the commission's request and assured them that it is not frivolous⁸. "There is no point spending so much money going through a process, which in the end may turn out not to be satisfactory in terms of its credibility," he said.

Parliamentary changes to the electoral act require the approval of President Goodluck Jonathan. Attorney General Mohammed Adoke says the Jonathan administration understands the need for delay. "The fundamental objective of this government is to have a free, fair and credible election at the end of the day," said Adoke. "I have listened to the proposal and proposition of the INEC chairman. Our position as the government is that we will do everything possible to support and ensure that we have a free, fair and credible election."

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Bayero Nafada is the co-chairman of the National Assembly's Constitutional Review Committee. He said, "Nigerians are watching. We pray that at the end of our deliberation, we will be able to come out with an acceptable procedure and timetable for the conduct of the general election come 2011."

Nafada said lawmakers continue to support the electoral commission, but want to make sure that the timetable presented this time is one that will work. "We pray that this time around, this will be the last request that will come from any quarters regarding this election because it will not continue that way. If there is any further [delay], God forbid, I think it will become a crisis," he said.

Nigerian lawmakers said they will start work on changing the timetable after the electoral commission proposes a new schedule Wednesday. Jega says the commission is looking for a three-month extension that would push next January's vote back to April.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 aspire   

vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于

参考例句：

• Living together with you is what I aspire toward in my life.和你一起生活是我一生最大的愿望。
• I aspire to be an innovator not a follower.我迫切希望能变成个开创者而不是跟随者。

3 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

4 aspiration   

n.志向，志趣抱负；渴望；(语)送气音；吸出

参考例句：

• Man's aspiration should be as lofty as the stars.人的志气应当象天上的星星那么高。
• Young Addison had a strong aspiration to be an inventor.年幼的爱迪生渴望成为一名发明家。

5 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

6 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

7 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

8 frivolous   

adj.轻薄的；轻率的

参考例句：

• This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
• He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。