France, Jan. 26 -- Zimbabwe's main opposition leader said Thursday he has quit his party, accusing the country's ruling party of hijacking the organisation and causing the removal of dozens of his members of parliament and councillors.

Nelson Chamisa, 45, was President Emmerson Mnangagwa's main rival in the 2018 and 2023 disputed elections. On Thursday, he accused Mnangagwa of decimating the opposition by authoritarian means.

In a 13-page statement on his social media platforms and on the party's page on X, formerly Twitter, Chamisa criticised the economically and politically troubled southern African country's record of authoritarianism.

"With immediate effect, I no longer have anything to do with CCC (Citizens Coalition for Change),"...