Press reflects Iran's political divide

Papers on both sides of Iran's political spectrum tackle the failure of an electoral reform bill. The bill was aimed at overturning a bid by hardliners to ban reformist candidates from standing in the coming elections.

Conservatives suspect their opponents of introducing the bill with the express intention of provoking a constitutional crisis.

Reformists in turn say the impasse has exposed the true nature of the Guardian Council, which is behind the ban. They also say that the Iranian people seem to have been left out of the equation.

The electoral reform bill was so incompatible with the country's constitution that "it is possible the motive behind introducing it was to have it rejected," says the hardline, pro-Khamenei newspaper Kayhan.

This, the paper says, would provide "a new pretext for the vulgar psychological operations of the disqualified MPs and their American and European supporters, against the Islamic Republic of Iran's system!"

Although it does not share Kayhan's suspicion of ulterior motives, Iran News doubts the bill can achieve its ends.

"Not all reformist MPs were in favour of this bill," the paper believes.

"Even if it becomes the law of the land, it will not be able to solve any of the fundamental problems plaguing the electoral system".

But the paper does call on both sides to meet and discuss their differences, "before it is too late and more precious time is squandered".

Another conservative paper takes a more conciliatory approach.

"We should strengthen any move that makes people feel their presence matters in the elections," Khorasan says.

"It does not matter if - for the sake of ensuring people's participation - we have some degree of flexibility, provided we do not destroy the revolution's principles."

Absent public

The reformist Yas-e-Now accuses the Guardian Council of standing in the way of this and other previous legislation.

Rejection of the bill - the paper says - "exposes the true level of the Guardian Council's commitment to the slogan of following... leadership and also exposes the true extent of its goodwill towards resolving the current problem".

Another reformist paper, Sharq, says that the MPs have nothing to lose in the current stand-off.

"This in itself strengthens their resolve to continue their steadfastness," the paper says.

It adds that despite the strong position of the conservatives, there might be "a limited settlement of disputes between the two factions".

But the paper goes on to bemoan the absence in all the wrangling of ordinary Iranians.

"The fundamental point in this calculation is the absence of the people in the dispute and, without the people, the reformists have no power that they can use or show to their rival."

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.