VOA标准英语2013--Former PM Nawaz Sharif Set to Lead Pakistan Once Again

 

Former PM Nawaz Sharif Set to Lead Pakistan Once Again

After a late night of celebrating Pakistan’s national election results, which showed former prime minister and businessman Nawaz Sharif as the big winner,

Pakistanis woke up in the capital Islamabad Sunday at peace with the results, and with tough expectations from the country’s emerging leadership.

Analyst¹ Raza Rumi says how effective the new government will be will depend on what kind of political coalitions² Nawaz Sharif and his party will be able to build.

"Nawaz Sharif’s victory is almost landslide³ in his home province, but of course he needs support from other smaller provinces, and he needs to build a consensus⁴ on the three key issues that face Pakistan: First the economy and energy crisis, extremism and militancy⁵ which has disrupted Pakistani peace, and thirdly, most importantly, keeping the India policy on track for trade gains with the largest neighbor we have," said Rumi.

Despite heavy pre-election violence, voter turnout was high.

And as the ballots⁷ came in, Imran Khan, the former cricket star whose Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI party, entered the political fray⁸ for the first time, emerged as a strong regional political player.

His supporters were ecstatic. Waseem Shahzad said Khan’s message of change had inspired voters.

"Imran Khan and his leadership has revived the confidence of people that they can bring the change through the electoral process, through the ballot⁶, and today I think it is not Tehreek-e-Insaf, I think it is the people of Pakistan who have won today," said Shahzad.

The hope here is that Sharif, once a protégé of Pakistan’s powerful military until he challenged them and found himself in jail, will draw on his past political experience.

IT manager Sohail Minhas is optimistic where a Sharif government could lead the country.

"I think a better Pakistan. Why I say that, because you know the region, U.S. is pulling out from Afghanistan hopefully, Iran is another front which is a neighbor, India is another neighbor as well, and Nawaz has gone through all this. So, if he has got more sense in the last ten years, I think he should do a better prime minister this time," said Minhas.

With expectations running high, Sharif and his party could be under pressure to show progress soon after taking office. 

1 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

2 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。

3 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

4 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？

5 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

6 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。

7 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》

8 fray   

v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗

参考例句：

• Why should you get involved in their fray?你为什么要介入他们的争吵呢？
• Tempers began to fray in the hot weather.大热天脾气烦燥。