美国认为卢旺达选举不合规-英语课

时间：2019-01-03 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2017年(8月)

英语课

The United States congratulates the people of Rwanda on their active and peaceful participation 1 in the presidential election held August 4. More than 6.6 million Rwandans cast ballots 2 for Mr. Kagame, according to the official tally 3, though this number appears inflated 4. Just over 80,000 voted for the opposition 5. The government claimed turnout totaled 97.6 percent.

But the electoral process fell short of democratic standards. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said

We are disturbed by irregularities observed during voting and reiterate 6 long-standing concerns over the integrity of the vote-tabulation process.

The United States commends the Rwandan media for reporting on complaints of harassment 7 of some opposition candidates and Rwandan citizens during the campaign. The U.S. also commends average citizens, the National Electoral Commission, and government officials for speaking out and addressing those complaints. Spokesperson Nauert added, We applaud the televised presidential debate, while noting that voters' understanding would have benefited from broader participation of the candidates themselves.

The U.S. remains 8 concerned by the lack of transparency in determining the eligibility 9 of prospective 10 candidates. It is hoped the new electoral law to be debated in the next session of parliament will clarify that process well before the 2018 parliamentary elections.

Rwandan President Kagame has led the country of 12 million people since his rebels helped to end the 1994 genocide in which more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred by Hutu extremists. Under President Kagame, Rwanda has made great economic strides, but his critics say this has come at the expense of civil liberties and media freedoms. Human rights groups report that his government has used state powers to silence the opposition through systematic 11 repression 12.

A constitutional amendment 13 in 2015 allows Mr. Kagame to stay in power until 2034 if he pursues it. The United States expressed disappointment with the change to the constitution and Kagame's decision to seek a third term.

The United States encourages the Government of Rwanda to foster an environment where civil society and all political parties can participate in elections without intimidation 14 and elections truly reflect the will of the people. The United States stands by the people of Rwanda in their efforts to build strong democratic and inclusive institutions in order to ensure long-term stability and a democratic, prosperous future for all.

1 participation

n.参与，参加，分享

Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

2 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 )

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》

3 tally

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

4 inflated

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨