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Zimbabwean leader of the Movement for Democratic Change Morgan Tsvangirai

Assassination threats have derailed plans by Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to return home to campaign for the presidential runoff vote.

Movement for Democratic Change officials received information from a "credible source" about a planned attack on Tsvangirai, party spokesman George Sibotshiwe said.

He said there was no immediate clue who was behind the alleged plot to kill the Movement for Democratic Change leader. There was no response from the government.

Tsvangirai, who has been out of the country for the past few weeks, had planned to kick off campaigning on Sunday for the June 27 presidential runoff. He won the first round against President Robert Mugabe, 84, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980, but fell short of an outright majority.

He says the runoff is illegal, but that the party will contest it.

The opposition and most observers say that the mounting violence and intimidation, mainly targeting opposition supporters, make it virtually impossible to hold a credible runoff election.

In recent weeks, opposition supporters have been beaten, killed, and driven from their homes in a campaign of terror that observers say is meant to secure Mugabe's hold on power.

The Movement for Democratic Change says that more than 30 of its supporters have been killed.

Sibotshiwe said party officials would consult their own security experts and regional leaders for advice. He said Tsvangirai would return "at the earliest opportunity".

The former trade union leader has survived three assassination attempts, including one in 1997 by unidentified assailants who tried to throw him from a 10th floor office window.