Iran's reformist President, Mr Mohammad Khatami, was sworn in for a second term in office yesterday, promising greater democracy and a government responsible to the people.
But his inauguration was overshadowed by a row between his allies in parliament and the hardline judiciary leader, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, which had delayed the ceremony for three days.
The judiciary yesterday ordered the closure of the popular reformist newspaper Hambastegi (Solidarity). A journalist on the newspaper said Ayatollah Shahroudi was unhappy over a front-page interview with a reformist MP critical of the judicial apparatus.
"The most important issue for us today is creating an Islamic democracy which was the main aim of the revolution," Mr Khatami said in a speech after the oath-taking.
"It is necessary to create the rule of law and methods through which the nation can oversee powerful state institutions," he said.
Efforts by the mild-mannered, mid-ranking cleric to create a more open Islamic Republic during his first four years in office were dogged by opposition from conservatives in powerful positions within the state. A number of the president's close aides were removed from office, others were prosecuted and some were jailed. Mr Khatami nevertheless gained huge support at the polls in June over his promises to try to press on with his campaign of reform.
But his new term got off to an inauspicious start. Reformist MPs attempted to stand up to the Guardian Council which had vetoed many of their laws and the judiciary which had spearheaded the legal campaign against the reformists.
Parliament failed to elect two legal experts to the Guardian Council from a shortlist submitted by the head of judiciary saying the candidates were inexperienced and politically biased.
Conservatives then argued that the inauguration could not go ahead while two seats on the 12-man council were still vacant.
The council is empowered to ensure parliamentary legislation complies with Islamic Sharia law. Six of its members are appointed by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the other six chosen by MPs from a list supplied by the judiciary leader, himself a Khamenei appointee.
Ayatollah Khamenei stepped in to solve the row, ruling that whichever candidates received the most votes in parliament would take their place on the council, whether they had a majority or not.
Two conservative lawyers were thus elected to the council on Tuesday with only 67 and 62 votes from the 249 MPs present.
Despite the setback, Mr Khatami vowed to persevere with his efforts to reshape the relationship between the state and the people.
"We must try more and more to make the Islamic Republic more effective and responsible towards the people. We must meet the people's demands in all fields," he said.