VOA慢速英語：泰國舉行2014年政變以來首次大選

Thailand To Hold First General Election Since 2014 Coup

泰國舉行2014年政變以來首次大選

On Sunday, voters in Thailand will choose members of the lower house of parliament.

泰國選民周日將會選出下議院議員。

The general election comes after several delays. It will be the first since the country's military seized power in 2014.

這次大選經(jīng)歷了數(shù)次推遲，這將是2014年軍方奪取政權以來的第一次選舉。

Thousands of candidates are competing for 350 directly elected seats in the lower house. Another 150 are decided through a complex system of proportional representation.

上千名候選人將會競爭下議院350個直選席位，另外150個席位要通過比例代表制這個復雜體系來確定。

Observers say one of the major issues voters are considering is whether to support the continuation of military rule. But no matter what candidates are elected, the military is likely to keep much of its political power.

觀察家表示，是否繼續(xù)支持軍事統(tǒng)治是選民們考慮的主要問題之一。但是無論誰當選，軍方都能保留其大部分政治權力。

That is partly because Thailand's military strongly influenced the writing of the constitution that was accepted in 2017. The constitution gives the military power to appoint all 250 members in parliament's upper house. The constitution also limits the number of lower house members of parliament voters can elect directly.

部分原因是因為泰國軍隊強烈影響了2017年通過的憲法的修訂。這部憲法賦予了軍隊在上議院任命250名議員的權力，同時還限制了選民可以直接選出的下議院議員的數(shù)量。

The process is expected to lessen the influence of large parties. Instead, many smaller parties are expected to gain power and form a coalition government.

這一選舉程序預計將會減輕大型政黨的影響，相反，很多小黨派預計將會掌權并組建聯(lián)合政府。

Thai voters

泰國選民

Observers say Thais' interest in the election is unusually high. About 75 percent of those registered to vote are expected to do so, says Aim Sinpeng. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney.

觀察人士稱，泰國人對選舉的興趣異常高漲。Aim Sinpeng是悉尼大學政府和國際關系學院的助理教授，她稱大約75%的注冊選民預計將會參加投票。

Thailand's Election Commission reports that over 86 percent of registered early voters have already made their choices.

泰國選舉委員會報告稱，超過86%的早期登記選民已經(jīng)做出了決定。

In addition to the military question, voters are expected to consider economic conditions and growing inequality between rich and poor.

除了軍事問題，預計選民還會考慮到經(jīng)濟狀況和貧富差距日益擴大。

The Associated Press has identified some of the important voting groups. They include struggling farmers and workers, who usually vote for candidates who promise financial help. Young people are also, in general, seeking better jobs and financial gains.

美聯(lián)社已經(jīng)看穿了一些重要的投票群體，他們包括苦苦掙扎的農民和工人。通常他們會投票給承諾提供經(jīng)濟援助的候選人。一般來說年輕人也在尋求更好的工作和經(jīng)濟收益。

On the other hand, powerful business interests and wealthy families usually want political stability. People connected to the military are also likely to want to keep things the same.

另一方面，強大的商業(yè)利益和富裕家庭通常希望政治穩(wěn)定，與軍方有聯(lián)系的人可能也希望保持現(xiàn)狀。

And middle class voters in Bangkok have divided interests. They would like to see reforms in education, government and other areas. But they also want peace and order, says historian Chris Baker, who wrote a book on Thailand.

歷史學家克里斯·貝克(Chris Baker)表示，曼谷的中產(chǎn)階級選民有不同的利益。他們希望看到教育、政府和其它領域的改革，但他們也想要和平和秩序。貝克寫了一本關于泰國的書。

Official election results are expected by May 9.

正式選舉結果預計將在5月9日公布。

I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

凱莉·吉恩·凱莉報道。