| A key reform bill adopted by Iranian MPs in a bid to end the conservative stranglehold over President Mohammad Khatami's legislative agenda has been rejected by a constitutional watchdog body controlled by his opponents, official media said Wednesday. The Guardians Council demanded that parliament revise the legislation which would end its right to vet candidates, the state IRNA news agency said. Reformist supporters of Khatami, who dominate parliament, accuse the council of abusing its powers to disqualify scores of candidates not to its liking. The bill is one of a pair of reforms, along with another targetting the conservative-controlled courts, which are seen as as a last-ditch bid to save Khatami's six-year-old presidency amid mounting public frustration with his failure to deliver in the face of his opponents' stonewalling. |