Some, such as Amir Mohebbiyan, a conservative columnist for Resalat, say there is no crisis of legitimacy.

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The main reason is to explain its decisions better and restore some legitimacy with a public still seething after crisis-era bail-outs.

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It is a debt crisis but a crisis, too, of legitimacy.

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However, a period of relative stability began with Mr Lobo's election and many governments, including the US, proceeded to recognise the Honduran government's legitimacy and re-established the ties cut during the height of the crisis.

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But as the crisis persists, austerity drags on and the euro zone integrates to save itself, the legitimacy of the enterprise will suffer.

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According to Mr Cameron, the austerity measures taken to deal with the crisis in the eurozone have given added urgency to the issue of the EU's democratic legitimacy.

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