Alliance Party leader David Ford today called in the police to investigate bogus election leaflets urging his party members to "lend" their votes to the Ulster Unionists next week to fend off DUP victories.
Alliance has also made a formal complaint to the Electoral Commission.
Mr Ford, standing in South Antrim, condemned the publishers of leaflets being distributed across several constituencies in the name of "Concerned Citizens for a Shared Future".
He said it was part of a dirty tricks campaign designed to help the Ulster Unionist party and nothing to do with Alliance or the cause of a shared future.
Mr Ford said many people have told the party they had received a leaflet printed in Alliance colours of yellow and blue, headed "Thinking of Voting Alliance". It was clearly intended to confuse Alliance supporters, he said.
"The publishers hide behind a PO Box number and urge Alliance supporters to vote for the Ulster Unionists, wrongly claiming that the UUP supports Alliance ideals such as a shared future."
There was also a graph which gave the wrong figures for party support at the Assembly election.
UUP leader Mr David Trimble insisted this week "The party is not involved. I don't know who is behind it."
But Mr Ford said the leaflet was "a clear sign of desperation, designed to benefit the UUP".
PA