Zimbabwean opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday met his deputy, Gibson Sibanda, to iron out differences in the party's leadership over participation in upcoming senatorial elections.

The party is facing disintegration over the issue with Tsvangirai pitted against the entire top leadership of the MDC in calling for a boycott of the November 26 polls.

The infighting, the worst in the party's six-year old history, has spurred outside MDC sympathizers, led by businessman Eric Bloch, to try and mediate between the rival factions.

Tsvangirai would not on Thursday reveal what came out of the special meeting, saying a comprehensive report would be issued later, most likely on Friday.

A three-man mediation team composed of lawyer, Innocent Chagonda, Brian Raftopoulos, a political analyst and economist, Bloch, begun mediating between the two camps.

Tsvangirai allegedly left to address a rally in Mashonaland East province immediately after the meeting with Sibanda, where he appealed to the party's supporters not to support the party's participation in the Senate election set for November 26.

Raftopoulos said he was willing to assist the MDC to resolve the crisis threatening its survival.

"I think there is a serious crisis in the MDC as a result of the manner in which the decision not to participate was made."

"I think Tsvangirai was wrong in disregarding the decision by the national executive council," he said.

Tsvangirai is against participation in the election that he has described as a "ZANU-PF (the ruling Zimbabwean African National Union-Patriotic Front) project," while some influential members are for it.

He has since asked the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, which runs the country's elections, to dismiss any party member wishing to participate in the election.

Thirty-three of the 66-member national executive council voted for participation in a referendum held last week while 31 were against it. There were two spoilt ballots.

The Senate is being reintroduced after government decided to reintroduce a bicameral legislative system that it abandoned in the early 1980s.

It will have 66 members composed of five from each of the 10 provinces, the president and vice president of the Chiefs' Council, eight chiefs from non-metropolitan provinces.

President Robert Mugabe will appoint six other representatives from vulnerable groups.

Source: Xinhua