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Commentators consider the fallout from the UK's decision not to replace the first-past-the-post voting system with the alternative voting system, as well as the results of local and national assembly elections:

says the Liberal Democrats were the biggest losers:

"In Thursday's English local elections the Lib Dems produced their worst performance for more than 20 years. In Scotland, something of a traditional stronghold, they have been routed, winning a much smaller percentage of the vote than even the Tories, and helping to pave the way for the Nationalists' triumph. And on the AV referendum Mr Clegg's party has suffered a humiliating defeat. It was the prospect of electoral reform, eventually leading to proportional representation, which convinced the Lib Dem leadership that they should sign up to the Coalition. Now those hopes have been dashed, and the cause which Mr Clegg and his colleagues have virtually lived for has crumbled into dust."

In the Jonathan Freedland argues that the poor performance by the Lib Dems in the local elections and the rejection of AV were a "repudiation of Clegg". He believes this highlights the power dynamics within the coalition:

"Lib Dems now understand exactly why the Tories were so eager to make that "comprehensive and generous offer" a year ago this weekend. It was not so much a power-sharing arrangement as a blame-taking one: the Lib Dems' role is to be the Conservatives' human shield and on Thursday they played the part perfectly. They took the heat while the Tories remained unscathed, their share of the vote unchanged since 2010, with even some council gains in England. For the senior partner, coalition is working out very nicely."

suggests a strategy through which the Liberal Democrats can begin their recovery:

"The Liberal Democrats in the coalition need to emphasise differences with the Conservatives. Clegg should ration his appearances alongside Cameron. One realises it is perhaps not practical politics for the Liberal Democrats to go into opposition and offer their support on a vote-by-vote basis (though there is no constitutional or legal reason why they cannot); but it is crucial that the party develops a ministerial reputation separate from that of the Conservatives."

argues that "Nick Clegg's thrashing" is likely to mark "the beginning of the end" for the coalition:

"The voters' message is that the Lib Dems are catastrophically damaged and perhaps finished as a political force. They must now cling to their detested Tory partners for dear life - or risk obliteration in a general election."

And, in its the Economist suggests that David Cameron may have won the AV referendum "too well", meaning that he "risks being handcuffed to a political corpse" in the form of Mr Clegg. It says the prime minister has "ordered his people to go easy on the gloating, and give Mr Clegg the space and room to defend himself":

It would be pretty ironic if an AV landslide forces the Conservatives to make concessions to Mr Clegg when a narrower win would have allowed the Tories to be tough on their junior partner.