A FORMER Plaid Cymru Ceredigion MP has labelled the Liberal Democrat campaign in the run-up to the recent Assembly election “deplorable”.

Cynog Dafis, Ceredigion MP from 1992 to 2000 and a Mid and West Wales AM between 1999 and 2003, wrote an open letter to Ceredigion MP Mark Williams as the new leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

In it he rails against the Lib Dems campaigning which questioned the Plaid/Independent led Ceredigion council making cuts to local services and shutting rural schools as well as attacking Plaid’s policies on council tax and the health service.

“I am writing to you [Mr Williams] on the assumption that you personally were as responsible as anyone for the deplorable style of the campaign that the Lib Dems chose to wage in Ceredigion over recent weeks,” Mr Dafis, who lives in Llandre, wrote.

“The Lib Dems’ widespread use in elections of negative campaigning and misrepresentation of their opponents’ policies is well known.

“In this last campaign however the negative onslaught on Plaid Cymru has reached new heights.

“The deluge of Lib Dem literature distributed during the campaign has been dominated by an unremitting attack on Plaid Cymru. The attacks have been opportunistic at best and distorted or untrue at worst.”

During the campaign, Elin Jones - returned as Ceredigion AM with an increased majority over Lib Dem candidate Elizabeth Evans - said that her rival’s literature was “the worst possible kind of negative campaigning; full of lies and distortions".

But Mrs Evans said she was “surprised by Plaid’s reaction and accusations” adding that “it is an essential part of the democratic process that we debate the policies presented by parties”.

“We do not believe that we have misrepresented Plaid Cymru’s policy position,” Mrs Evans said.

Mark Williams told the Cambrian News: “Mr Dafis may wish to perpetuate the election campaign, however, the electorate have made their decision - one which I totally respect - and I have congratulated Elin Jones on her victory, as has my colleague Elizabeth Evans.”

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