[ti:Low Numbers of Tunisians Vote on a New Constitution] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Early results show a new Tunisian constitution [00:05.56]that expands presidential powers has passed, but with very low voter turnout. [00:14.56]It is estimated that less than one third of voters completed ballots in the referendum. [00:23.20]President Kais Saied dismissed parliament last year. [00:29.05]Since then, he has governed with expanded powers [00:35.19]gained through his own orders. [00:38.79]Saied offered the new constitution last month. [00:43.80]Opposition parties boycotted the referendum. [00:47.95]They said the new laws destroy democracy in Tunisia [00:53.60]which was put in place after the 2011 uprising known as the Arab Spring. [01:01.16]Tunisia is the only country to have established a democracy as a result of the uprising. [01:09.64]However, Tunisia now faces an economic crisis [01:14.56]with the public mainly concerned about financial issues. [01:20.44]The country is seeking a $4 billion load [01:24.76]from the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, to rescue the economy. [01:32.40]But workers groups opposed reforms required by the IMF [01:38.35]including the removal of price supports for food and fuel. [01:45.48]An opinion study by French financial company Sigma Conseil [01:50.46]found that 92 percent of people who voted in the referendum supported the new constitution. [02:00.52]An early report from the electoral commission [02:03.84]said that, of those who could legally vote, only 28 percent did so. [02:11.15]Voter turnout is believed to have been the lowest since 2011. [02:17.90]Official numbers for the referendum will be closely watched. [02:23.08]Early results are expected Wednesday [02:26.60]with the final result being announced on August 28. [02:32.36]Tunisia's new constitution gives the president additional power over the government and courts. [02:39.88]It has been described as giving the president full executive powers. [02:45.88]The opposition says the president's moves last year [02:51.04]represent a seizure of power and rejected the referendum as illegal. [02:58.76]Western democracies have looked to Tunisia as the only success story of the Arab Spring, [03:07.33]a pro-democracy movement that swept the Middle East in 2011. [03:13.43]Over the past year, they have urged the country to return to the democratic path. [03:21.72]President Saied completed his ballot Monday [03:25.47]and said the referendum provided the start of a new republic. [03:31.48]But critics warn that the new constitution [03:35.71]could lead to the one-party rule that existed under former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. [03:46.40]Samia is a married woman in Tunis with a teenage son. [03:51.32]She did not want to vote. "I'm frustrated by all of them," she said. [03:57.90]But voter Yahia Arafet said: "This was an important day. [04:04.52]I hope all Tunisians vote to raise the country's level and improve it." [04:10.24]I'm Dan Friedell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM