Morgan Tsvangirai, 62, has led the MDC for the last 15 years;
Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change says it
is suspending its leader Morgan Tsvangirai, amid deepening divisions in its
ranks.
A statement issued by the party after a meeting in Harare
accused him of a "remarkable failure of leadership".
It also said he had deviated from the party's democratic
founding principles.
Mr Tsvangirai lost a third election challenge to veteran
President Robert Mugabe in 2013 and defied calls to stand down after this
defeat.
The MDC leadership is reported to have been riven with
in-fighting for months since then.
A BBC reporter in Zimbabwe says the MDC appears to be
heading for a split that will only strengthen Mr Mugabe's hold on power.
Several other senior party figures were also reported to
have been suspended at Saturday's meeting, and some suspended members to have
been reinstated.
Tensions brewing
The MDC statement said the party had been "transformed
into a fiefdom of the leader" under Mr Tsvangirai. It also accused him of
sponsoring a culture of violence against MDC members not aligned with him.
MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti, who spoke to journalists
after the meeting, said Mr Tsvangirai and some other senior officials had
"betrayed" the MDC's struggle, AFP reported.
“Start Quote
The party transformed into a fiefdom of the leader, where
decision making, policy direction or lack thereof, have been monopolised and
privatised”
MDC statement
But an MDC spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora, maintained that
Mr Tsvangirai remained the MDC's legitimate leader.
"This was not a national council meeting," he told
AFP.
David Coltart, a founding member of the MDC, told the BBC
that Mr Tsvangirai's suspension - although not unexpected - was a bad thing for
democracy in Zimbabwe.
"I'm not surprised this has happened because tensions
have been brewing for quite a long time.
"But I am concerned about this. What we need in the
opposition is consolidation, not further splitting.
"Morgan Tsvangirai, for whatever can be levelled
against him, remains a very popular figure and we really do need him as part of
the overall democratic forces," Mr Coltart said.
From 2009-2013 Mr Tsvangirai served as prime minister in a
fragile power-sharing government, with Mr Mugabe remaining Zimbabwe's
president.
That unity government ended with the elections in July 2013.
Mr Mugabe's party won a huge majority in the vote, which Mr
Tsvangirai dismissed as fraudulent.
His defeat was a major setback for a man who for many years
posed the only credible challenge to President Mugabe.
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