LABOR RUDD CLINGING ON TO POWER 'S LEADERSHIP HANGING BY A THREAD

2010 年06月24日 06:06 AM

陆克文面临下台压力

LABOR RUDD CLINGING ON TO POWER 'S LEADERSHIP HANGING BY A THREAD

英国《金融时报》 伊丽莎白•弗莱 悉尼报道

The political future of Kevin Rudd, Australia's prime minister, is hanging by a thread after key powerbrokers in his Labor government concerned about his plummeting popularity forced a challenge to his leadership.	澳大利亚总理陆克文(Kevin Rudd)的政治前途悬于一线，因为工党政府内的主要“权力掮客”对其民意支持率大跌深感担忧，决定强迫发起对其领导地位的挑战。
Mr Rudd will face off against his deputy, Julia Gillard, in a vote of the parliamentary Labor party this morning with the momentum shifting firmly against retaining him as the leader.	身为议会政党的工党将于今日上午举行一次选举，陆克文将对阵自己的副手朱莉娅•吉拉德 (Julia Gillard)。目前形势越来越不利于让陆克文继续担任工党领袖。
If she ousts Mr Rudd, the Wales-born Ms Gillard, a lawyer who has long been in politics both as an adviser and MP, will become Australia's first female prime minister.	如果吉拉德成功把陆克文拉下马，她将成为澳大利亚首位女总理。吉拉德出生于英国威尔 士，是一名律师，长期涉足政坛，先后担任顾问和议员。
Mr Rudd, ranked as one of Australia's most popular prime ministers in his first two years in power after his election in 2007, has seen his standing badly damaged by a series of policy mishaps over climate change and refugees.	陆克文于2007年当选总理，最初两年被评为澳大利亚历来最受欢迎的总理之一，但在气 候变化和难民问题上的一系列政策失误，使其声望大损。
He has also been hurt by a backlash led by powerful local mining companies over the government's decision to impose a so-called superprofits tax on the resources sector.	澳大利亚政府计划向资源行业征收暴利税的决定，引起国内各大矿业企业带头的反弹，这也 损及他的地位。
The well-funded campaign against the tax, led by some of the country's richest people in tandem with mining giants such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, has seen Labor support plummet in resource-rich states such as Queensland and Western Australia.	反对资源暴利税的活动受到慷慨资助，由澳大利亚国内一些最富有的人以及必和必拓 (BHP Billiton)和力拓(Rio Tinto)等矿业巨擘带头，已导致工党在昆士兰和西澳等资源丰富的数个州支持率大跌。
With an election expected later this year, the party's factional bosses, who represent the interests of both union powerbrokers and different state-based groupings, appear to have given up on Mr Rudd's regaining popularity.	澳大利亚将于今年晚些时候举行选举，工党内各派别领导人似乎已对陆克文再次获得民意支 持不抱希望。这些派别既包括工会权力掮客利益，也包括各州不同团体利益。
Mr Rudd, who had been due to fly to Canada today for summit of G20 nations, called the vote on his leadership late on Wednesday night after being informed by Ms Gillard that she would challenge him.	在吉拉德知会陆克文将挑战他后，陆克文于周三晚间召集党内选举，将就他的领导地位进行 表决。陆克文原定今天飞赴加拿大出席20国集团(G20)会议。
	译者/杨远