Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai decided to withdraw from the presidential runoff due to the mounting electoral violence and killings. The move is most likely to send the African country into a deep political crisis.

Tsvangirai’s withdrawal gives the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders, especially President Thabo Mbeki, the opportunity to salvage a negotiated settlement from the stalemate and also leaves only President Robert Mugabe to solve the country's political crisis.

Tsvangirai said he made this decision because his Movement for Democratic Change supporters would have risked their lives if they cast their votes on June 27. Tsvangirai will most certainly lobby the international community as well as African countries to pressure Mugabe into settling the political crisis.

"Over the next two days, the (MDC) president will be explaining our decision to the world, lobbying the international community, but mainly SADC and the African Union, to put pressure on the Mugabe regime to resolve the crisis we are facing," said MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa.

Mbeki’s Southern African Development Community tried to pressure Mugabe and Tsvangirai to form a unity government and avoid a runoff which had a very high probability of turning very violent. Even after Tsvangirai’s decision to withdraw, Mbeki expressed his hopes that the two parties will continue talks and would be open to a process which would result in them coming to some agreement.

Mbeki met with the two political leaders from Zimbabwe in separate sessions last week and managed to convince them that a government of national unity would be the best solution. However, there were several unresolved issues.