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Helping Fragile Democracies: Why monitors matter
脆弱的民主制度下的選舉：為什么監管更重要
Foreign observers and local citizen-watchers can make the difference between a fair election and a disaster.
外國和當地公民觀察員們能夠對競選公平與否產生很大影響。
No one batted an eyelid earlier this year when Turkmenistan's strongman, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, was “re-elected” with nearly 98% of the vote.
今年早些時候，當土庫曼斯坦鐵腕人物Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov以近乎98%的支持率重新當選的時候，沒人對此產生異議。
Why, one wonders, did he bother with an election at all?
有人就好奇，既然已經知道是這樣的結果，Berdimuhamedov為什么還要進行重新選舉？
Yet in a growing number of fragile new democracies, especially in Africa, where similarly absurd results were once common, elections have become genuine.
在民主進程緩慢進行的國家，尤其是非洲國家，這樣壓倒性的選舉優勢曾經常出現，但是現在，民主選舉確實是在進步了。
Since 1991 incumbent governments or leaders have been ousted at the ballot box at least 45 times, most recently in Nigeria, Ghana, the Gambia and Lesotho.
從1991年以來，在尼日尼亞、加納、岡比亞、萊索托等國家，當權政府和領導人已經被從選舉箱中除名至少45次。
Nerves still jangle at election time, especially when the outcome is likely to be close, patronage and corruption are pervasive, and rigging and violence have blighted previous ballots.
但是在選舉期間，人們還是會擔心，尤其是選舉結果即將出爐的時候。在這期間，到處都是贊助和腐敗，徇私舞弊和暴力也會影響先前的投票結果。
A fraudulent election can tarnish a country's reputation, threaten its stability, and deter investment and aid.
一次摻有欺詐的選舉會破壞一個國家的聲譽、危害它的安全、阻擋外國投資和援助。
Kenya, whose voters go to the polls on August 8th, is just such a case.
8月8日，即將進行選舉的肯尼亞就是個例子。
Violence after an election in 2007 left at least 1,300 dead and 700,000 displaced.
2007年選舉之后的暴亂，導致1300民眾死亡，70萬人流離失所。
The country is the economic and strategic hub of east Africa, so a credible election this time matters not only to Kenyans but to many beyond their borders.
作為非洲東部的經濟和戰略中心，肯尼亞選舉的影響波及很多國家。
Foreign and local observers will be vital to ensuring a clean contest in such a “transitional democracy”.
肯尼亞國內外觀察員在保證透明選舉這件事上，起著至關重要的作用。
In the bad old days no one (except the hapless citizens of the countries concerned) seemed to care much if elections were rigged, provided they were more or less peaceful.
在過去，只要選舉能夠和平進行，就沒有人（除了那些關心國家的“倒霉蛋”們）在乎它是否公平公正的。
International monitors would swan in a few days before the poll and—more negligently—fly out again a day or two after it, often declaring the election to have been “free and fair” because they had seen voters cast their ballots without violence.
國際監管員們在選舉之前只會到處瞎晃，他們還會粗心地在選舉之后的幾天后就飛離，然后說此次選舉非常的“公平公正”，因為他們看到選民們是在沒有爆發沖突的時候投的票。
No matter that fraud and bad blood often increase after polling day.
之后就再也不管選舉之后留下的爛攤子。
譯文來源考研英語時事閱讀
