"In reality, a new government was appointed without obtaining electoral legitimacy, with neither all factions of the Iraqi people nor all Iraqi political powers fairly represented," the cleric said.

A weakened Karzai administration, shorn of electoral legitimacy, would represent a major blow to the Western allies who considered to send more troops to fight the Taliban.

While neither candidate surpassed the 50 percent threshold necessary for electoral legitimacy, public support for them has increased markedly since a similar poll was taken in October.

National parliamentarians can claim electoral legitimacy in their own right.

Even the governors and other regional leaders, who will lose their independence and electoral legitimacy when the plan takes effect, have lined up behind Mr. Putin - at least publicly.

"They think that the only way to unseat the [generals] is to create an alternative institution, a strong parliament with electoral legitimacy."

On Monday, President Vladimir V. Putin announced he would strip Russia's 89 regions of much of their authority and electoral legitimacy.

The battle now is between nonelected independence and electoral legitimacy.

Even the powerless prime minister named to add a veneer of electoral legitimacy to military rule was fired last month for proving insufficiently docile.

The Supreme Court, courageously and at some cost, did its bit for the Bush administration's electoral legitimacy.