Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi on Wednesday said he considered the new government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "illegitimate", in a statement posted on his website.

Mousavi also called on the authorities to release detained "children of the revolution", in reference to scores of leading reformists arrested since the disputed June 12 poll, and said he could not compromise regarding people's rights.

He called for a lifting of a ban on some moderate newspapers and websites.

Meanwhile,Iran's leading moderate party said the election was a "coup d'etat" and the official result was "unacceptable"

"The election was the result of a year long coup d'etat ...that harmed the establishment's legitimacy inside and outside Iran ... We openly announce that the result is unacceptable," said the statement of Islamic Iran's Participation Front.

The party was formed by reformers close to former president Mohammad Khatami, including his brother, after his landslide election win in 1997.

Some members of the party have been arrested following the dispute over the presidential election. - Reuters