Thirdly,  the  political  discourse  and  policies  of  the  opposition  have  been  largely  appropriated  by  the   Mnangagwa  regime.  The  removal  of  Mugabe  has  drawn  heavily  on  the  ‘change’  narrative  that   marked  the  MDC‘s  entry  onto  the  political  scene,  while  the  neo-­‐liberal  macro-­‐economic   stabilisation  and  international  re-­‐engagement  policies  have  also  been  central  to  the  programmatic   demands  of  the  MDCs  since  the  early  2000s.  Thus  even  as  Zanu  PF’s  authoritarian  politics  kept  the   ruling  party  in  power,  the  opposition  not  only  changed  the  key  features  of  the  dominant  political   messaging  in  Zanu  PF  and  at  a  national  level,  but  also  contributed  to  the  succession  dynamics  in  the   ruling  party  through  the  persistent  threats  to  its  continued  dominance.  In  the  often  blame-­‐ridden   criticism  that  has  emerged  on  the  performance  of  the  opposition,  both  by  Zimbabwean   commentators  and  former  financial  supporters  of  the  MDC,  there  has  been  a  wilful  forgetfulness  of   how  much  the  political  and  civic  opposition  have  contributed  to  the  changing  political  dynamics  in   the  country.    Lastly  the  loss  of  financial  support  for  the  opposition  forces  by  former  partners  has   had  a  debilitating  effect  on  the  operations  of  the  parties.         The  Role  of  SADC     The  centrality  of  ‘stability’  rather  than  ‘democratisation’  in  the  GPA  process  and  the  poor  capacity   of  SADC  to  implement  its  obligations  allowed  Zanu  PF  to  carry  out  the  2013  elections  with  minimal   electoral  reforms  and  in  breach  of  the  Zimbabwe  Constitution.  Nevertheless,  according  to  its  own   electoral  protocols  SADC  must  be  pressed  into  a  more  rigorous  position  on  electoral  commitments   in  the  region.  The  SADC  principles  and  Guidelines  Governing  Democratic  Elections  have  been  clearly   set  out.  They  include  the  requirement  to:     •   Promote  and  enhance  adherence  by  each  Member  State  to  the  SADC  Treaty  and  the  Protocols   on  Politics,  Defence  and  Security  Cooperation.   •   Promote  and  enhance  adherence  to  the  principle  of  the  rule  of  law  premised  upon  the  respect   for,  and  supremacy  of  the  Constitution  and  constitutional  order  in  the  political  arrangements  of   the  respective  Member  State  holding  elections.   •   Promote  the  holding  of  regular  free  and  fair,  transparent,  credible  and  peaceful  democratic   elections  to  institutionalise  legitimate  authority  of  representative  government.     •   Enhance  electoral  integrity  by  providing  a  basis  for  comprehensive  and  impartial  observation   and  elections,  and  sharing  of  experiences  and  information  among  Member  States  about   democratic  development.   •   Promote  Electoral  Justice  and  best  practice  in  the  management  of  elections  and  election  related   conflict.     •   Encourage  gender  balance  and  equity;  and  ethnic  and  religious  diversity  in  governance  and   development.   •   Promote  the  development  of  inclusive  political  institutions;  and  enhancement  of  civil  and   political  rights;  and  economic,  social  and  cultural  rights  for  the  purposes  of  advancing   democracy,  prosperity,  peace,  stability  and  security  in  the  region.37                                                                                                                                   37  SADC,  Principles  and  Guidelines  Governing  Democratic  Elections.  Adopted  by  the  Ministerial   Committee  of  the  Organ  on  Politics,  Defence  and  Security  Cooperation  on  20  July  2015,  Pretoria,   South  Africa.     11