Aquino Leads Philippine Presidential Race

阿基诺三世（左）周一等待投票

Philippine Sen. Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III took a decisive lead in the race for the Philippines' presidency, as early official results from national elections placed him well ahead of his main rivals, reflecting a desire among Filipino voters to break from the country's persistent problems with corruption.
菲律宾参议员阿基诺三世(Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino)在菲律宾总统选举中居绝对领先地位。菲律宾全国大选的官方初步结果显示，阿基诺三世遥遥领先于其主要竞争对手，反映出菲律宾选民与该国根深蒂固的腐败问题决裂的愿望。

The country's election commission said early Tuesday that with ballots from 78% of precincts tallied, Mr. Aquino is leading with about 40% of the vote, followed by ousted former President Joseph Estrada with 25%.
菲律宾选举委员会周二早些时候说在已清点的78%选区的选票中，阿基诺三世获得约40%的选票，居领先地位，曾被迫下台的前总统埃斯特拉达（Joseph Estrada）获25%的选票，居第二位。

Senator Manuel Villar, who ranked third, conceded the presidential elections to Mr. Aquino on Tuesday.
排名第三的参议员维亚(Manuel Villar)于周二承认败选。

Political analysts say many voters were attracted by the corruption-free halo surrounding the Aquino family name. A 50-year-old senator, Mr. Aquino is the son of the late democracy activist Benigno Aquino Jr., who was assassinated when he returned to the Philippines in 1983 to challenge the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos. His mother was President Corazon Aquino, who led the subsequent 'People Power' revolt that restored the Philippines' democracy and who died last year.
政治分析师说许多投票者被环绕在阿基诺家族名字上的“不腐败”光环所吸引。阿基诺三世今年50岁。他的父亲──已故民主人士阿基诺二世(Benigno Aquino Jr.)于1983年返回菲律宾挑战前总统马科斯(Ferdinand Marcos)的独裁统治时遇刺身亡。他的母亲──前总统科拉松•阿基诺(Corazon Aquino)随后领导“人民力量党” (People Power)进行反抗并在菲律宾恢复了民主。她已于去年逝世。

If Mr. Aquino's victory is confirmed, he faces several difficult tests, chief of which is rooting out the graft that has spurred Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International to rate the Philippines below Nicaragua, Pakistan and Liberia. Another challenge is finding a way to work with the other branches of government, especially the House of Representatives, where his Liberal Party is likely to lag behind the party of departing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
如果阿基诺三世最终胜选，他将面临着几项困难的考验。首先是根除菲律宾的腐败现象。总部位于柏林的腐败观察组织透明国际(Transparency International)给菲律宾确定的清廉评级排在尼加拉瓜、巴基斯坦和利比里亚之后。另一项挑战是找出与政府其它分支机构合作的办法，特别是与众议院的合作。在众议院，阿基诺的自由党(Liberal Party)很可能会落后于卸任总统阿罗约(Gloria Macapagal Arroyo)的政党。