Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. landslide victory (idiom) – to win by a large number, usually in an election
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. landslide victory (idiom) – to win by a large number, usually in an election
Example: He had a landslide victory with 85% of the votes.
2. opposition (n.) – a person or group against whom one competes
Example: We need to defeat the opposition in order to win the game.
3. poll (n.) – an
activity in which people make a vote
Example: People gathered in poll stations to vote.
4. fraudulent (adj.) – not
honest or truthful
Example: Fraudulent
businesses are punished by the law.
5. protest (n.) – an
expression of one’s disagreement or complaint
Example: A public protest started after the price of oil increased.
Article
Read the text below.
Read the text below.
Vladimir Putin, Russia’s former Prime
Minister, won a landslide victory
in the recent presidential elections. But opposition parties say Putin did not win fairly.
According to poll results, Putin received more than 60% of total votes, while
his closest rival, Gennady Zyuganov, got 17%. The other 3 presidential
candidates, on the other hand, only got one-digit percentages.
Putin’s camp, along with tens of
thousands of his supporters, celebrated victory outside the Kremlin earlier
this month. In an emotional speech, Putin thanked the crowd and told
supporters that this year’s election was clean and honest.
However, opposition parties claim the
election was fraudulent. Despite
the strict security in poll stations, reports say Putin’s party used “carousel voting,”
wherein voters were brought by buses
to different poll stations and made to vote several times.
The reports have led to mass protests in Moscow. Public anger has
also increased due to reports of fraudulent parliament elections in December
2011, in which most winners came from Putin’s political party. Many are also
angry at Putin’s long stay in power.
Putin was president of Russia for two
terms from 2000 to 2008, and was prime minister from 2008 to 2012. Now, he is
preparing to serve as president for the third time. According to Zyuganov,
Putin may not be able to rule like before because of the people’s growing
distrust.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
What
qualities do you look for in a leader?
·
Would
you vote for a leader like Putin who has been in his position for a very long
time?
Discussion B
·
Is
the election system a good way of choosing leaders? Why or why not?
·
What
can be done to keep elections fair?
