Zimbabwe's ruling party dismissed claims today that its supporters had tried to assassinate opposition leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai at a rally, calling the allegation "malicious political propaganda".
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said yesterday that axe-wielding assailants from the ruling ZANU-PF party had attacked a rally addressed by Mr Tsvangirai, the party's leader and President Robert Mugabe's strongest opponent.
The MDC said the attack was a failed attempt on Mr Tsvangirai's life, but a ruling party spokesman denied the charge.
"Those claims are part of a malicious political propaganda campaign that the MDC has been carrying out over the last five years," ZANU-PF secretary for external affairs, Mr Didymus Mutasa, said.
"That propaganda is aimed at tarnishing our government and demonising our president", said Mr Mutasa, who is also minister for anti-corruption affairs.
No independent account of yesterday's events was immediately available.
The opposition says ZANU-PF militants attacked an MDC rally in Mvurwi, a small farming town 100 km
northeast of Harare.
"There were about two policemen there, but they just left about five minutes before this crowd came, and we suspect there must have been some collusion between the police and this crowd," Mr Tsvangirai told BBC radio today.
Police confirmed there had been clashes in Mvurwi but said they were provoked by MDC supporters who lobbed teargas canisters at a convoy of ZANU-PF vehicles passing by. They said nobody had been injured.