The report sets a very petrifying precedent for SADC if this is the quality of observation that is satisfactory for the region.71 With regard to international forces, the SADC facilitation effectively kept them at bay with their response to the Inclusive Government, moving between a range of positions including, nominal support for the process, humanitarian assistance for the Inclusive Government, and a continuation of a sanctions regime, though with a gradual move away from this policy by the EU. In the aftermath of the election, though not lifting the sanctions completely, the EU took another step in this direction by lifting the strictures against the Government of Zimbabwe’s Mining Development Corporation, with Belgium, the centre of global diamond trading, welcoming the move.72 The US on the other hand, who noted the ‘deep flaws’ in the election process, stated is commitment to maintain the targeted sanctions.73 For the present, the strategy of the Western countries appears to be a wait‐and‐see approach in the hope that the Mugabe government will tone down its indigenization policy and anti‐ Western rhetoric, gradually move towards a greater rapprochement with the International Financial Institutions, and in so doing provide a face‐saving opportunity to engage more fully with the regime. Conclusion It is fair to conclude that the politics of the opposition, both party and civic, that emerged in the late 1990s and continued through the first 13 years of the 2000s has come to an end in its current form. The political and economic conditions that gave rise to its emergence have changed substantially, even if the challenges facing the country remain Herculean. For ZANU PF the major task ahead is to deliver on its election manifesto in the face of enormous odds. This will most likely give rise to new battles within the ruling party and provide new opportunities for the emergence of critical voices. The battle for a broader democratization continues.                                                              71 MDC Statement on SADC election observer mission summary report. www.safpi.org Accessed on 09/09/13. 72 ‘ZMDC taken off blacklist’. www.thezimbabwemail.com/zimbabwe.com/zimbabwe/18316‐zmdc‐taken‐off‐ blacklist.html Accessed on 27/09/2013. 73 ‘The troubling path ahead for US‐Zimbabwe relations testimony.’ www.safpi.org Accessed 16/09/13.   26