The two Christian parties contesting the Holyrood elections have clashed over a letter to voters that one side claims is intended to mislead its supporters into thinking it has given up campaigning.
The bitter divide between them has been taken to the police, with a complaint that electoral law could have been broken.
The row erupted over a letter being sent to more than one million voters in and around Glasgow, in which the Rev George Hargreaves, leader of the Scottish Christian Party, is attributed.
He states he is "pleased to announce the Christian Democrat Party has decided not to fight the Scottish Parliamentary elections, thereby clearing the way for the Scottish Christian Party - Scotland's only Christian Bible-based political party - to offer you a single clear Christian option at the ballot box".
However, Teresa Smith, leader of rival party Christian People's Alliance (CPA), said her election literature describes her party as "a Christian Democrat Party", in line with continental traditions of moderate, mainstream parties. She argues the effect of Mr Hargreaves's letter is to mislead voters into thinking her party is no longer fighting for seats.
Mr Hargreaves said: "I think it's misleading for the CPA to use the word Christian' when they are running a Muslim candidate at the top of their Glasgow list".
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