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The recent legislative¹ and municipal elections in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea were a chance for the government there to live up to the goal of widening the country's democratic space; a goal that was the focus of Equatorial Guinea's celebrated² National Dialogue of 2014. As long-time President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo said at the time, Democracy and national unity³ must be priorities in the problems that affect the nation...Where there are no public liberties, there cannot be institutional development.

赤道几内亚最近举行的立法选举和地方政府选举是当地政府实践拓宽该国民主空间的目标；也是2014年曾举国欢庆的全国对话的焦点。正如长期在位的总统奥比昂 恩圭马 姆巴索戈当时所说的那样，国家统一问题是影响赤道几内亚的首要问题……一日不实现公众自由，一日就无法实现工业发展。

Unfortunately, as U.S. Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea Julie Furuta-Toy wrote in a recent op-ed, the opportunity for the government to expand the country's democratic space, demonstrate that it hears the voice and the will of the people, and improve its image on the international stage, was missed in November.

不幸的是，正如美国驻赤道几内亚大使朱莉(Julie Furuta-Toy)在最近一次专栏中写道的那样，赤道几内亚政府拓宽民主空间的机会，证明自己能倾听其人民的心声和意愿的机会，以及其提升国际舞台形象的机会在11月就荡然无存。

The elections were a step back, she wrote. The balloting⁴ of candidates did not allow the public to vote freely for candidates to represent them at any level, since the voters only had the choice to vote for a party; the members of the public were registered to vote in a process that was not transparent⁵ and was not observed by the international or domestic observers; and the final count of the votes was not at all transparent or free...Additionally, restrictions⁶ on internet and communications systems were enforced.

朱莉在专栏中写道，这次的选举是一种退步。对候选人投票期间不允许公众自由选择任意阶层的候选人来代表他们发声，因为选民只能投一个政党；公众注册后的投票流程是非透明的，不受国际观察组织或国内观察组织的监督；计票工作也不是完全透明和自由的……此外，政府还对互联网和通信系统施加了限制。

Reportedly, the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea, the party of President Nguema, won the legislative and municipal elections with 92 percent of the vote. At the Chamber⁷ of Deputies in Malabo, only a single member of the opposition⁸ from the Citizens Party for Innovation was elected, leaving 99 seats to the party in power.

据悉，赤道几内亚民主党，也就是总统恩圭马所在的政党以92%票比的优势赢得了立法选举和地方政府选举。在首都马拉博的众议院，反对派市民创新党仅有一名成员当选，剩下99个席位都由执政党获得。

Furuta-Toy emphasized that a vibrant⁹ and loyal opposition is necessary to create economic opportunities for everyone. Without hearing the voices, without an independent representative democracy, the government limits the ability of its citizens to make informed choices for the future of the nation.

朱莉强调，要想为每个人创造经济机会，就需要有一个富有活力的忠诚反对党。如果不能倾听反对党的声音，如果没有独立的代议民主，政府就会限制市民为国家未来有效谏言的能力。

As she wrote earlier this year, the greatest resource of Equatorial Guinea is not its abundant supply of oil and gas. The greatest resource of Equatorial Guinea is actually her people, said Ambassador Furuta-Toy.

正如朱莉今年早些时候写道的那样，赤道几内亚最大的资源并非充足的石油和天然气。大使朱莉表示，赤道几内亚最大的资源实际上是它的人民。

It is past time for the leaders of Equatorial Guinea to ensure that Equatoguineans are allowed the democratic space required for their country to flourish.

赤道几内亚的领导人早就应该确保其子民可以获得让该国繁荣所必须的民主空间了。