Press ponder Ahmadinejad poll losses

Akbar Rafsanjani has been elected to the Assembly of Experts

Iran's reformist press hails what it sees as a clear setback for the conservative president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and a success for reformers in Sunday's elections for a powerful clerical body and local government.

Conservative papers, however, gloss over the losses suffered by the president's supporters, although one calls for introspection to avoid defeat in future.

In Lebanon, two commentators hope the result will help curb the impact of what one of them calls Ahmadinejad's "extremism".

REFORMIST E'TEMAD-E MELLI

Ahmadinejad's team failed both in the municipal council and in the Assembly of Experts' election.

REFORMIST AYANDE-YE-NOU

The reformists, as the result of their strategic coalition, took the majority of municipal seats in the country in an unequal competition. If the independents, who are mostly reformist, are added to their camp, it can be said that 70% of seats are occupied by the reformists.

HARDLINE KEYHAN

The election results prove that the people, outside of political parties and wings, believe in the principle-ists' [Ahmadinejad supporters'] discourse, and that there is no turning back from the path he has set out for Iranians.

HARDLINE SIYASAT-E RUZ

The massive turnout is an important factor that reinforces Iran's national security. It is a good opportunity for Iranian high-ranking officials to ignore small differences and move toward the correction of economic, political and cultural structures.

CONSERVATIVE RESALAT

The election was a good opportunity for us to recognize our pitfalls. If we don't make the best use of this opportunity we will fail in future as well.

SAHAR BA'ASIRI IN LEBANON'S ARAB NATIONALIST AL-NAHAR

Ahmadinejad will not admit to the defeat he incurred in the elections of the Assembly of Experts and local councils. However, he knows well that the religious institution took action to contain his extremism before the voters did to protest his policies.

AMIN QAMARIYA IN LEBANON'S AL-NAHAR

There is a moderate reformist point of view that the behaviour of Tehran's new leaders created an anti-Iranian international front that could have been dismantled through less impetuous behaviour, which could offer better protection for the nuclear and regional projects.

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