A British court on Friday threw out the results of a parliamentary election after deciding that the victor had gone too far in distorting his opponent's positions.
Experts warned the ruling clears the way for judges to referee electoral contests — a potentially messy precedent.
The two judges decided that the winner, Labour Party incumbent Phil Woolas, had violated election law in May by knowingly making false charges about his opponent in campaign literature.
Woolas accused Liberal Democrat opponent Elwyn Watkins of receiving support from Muslim militants who advocate violence. Watkins, who lost the May 6 contest by 103 votes, accused Woolas in court of trying to stir up ethnic and religious divisions.
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