Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai announced June 22 he will pull out of the country's presidential runoff election. Set for June 27, the runoff would have pitted Tsvangirai against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai cited ruling party violence and the unlikelihood that MDC participation would give the opposition party a credible chance at contesting the polls. Given the tactics and intimidation the Mugabe regime has unleashed since the first round of elections were held March 29, Tsvangirai's statements hold considerable truth. Tsvangirai's pullout means Mugabe is assured of re-election. No candidate can replace another on the ballot, so Tsvangirai's absence leaves Mugabe as the only candidate. The Tsvangirai pullout also grants a measure of legitimacy to Mugabe's re-election — at least in the minds of the Mugabe regime. No matter what tactics he has used (including withholding food aid and beating and jailing MDC supporters), Mugabe will have stayed in the election until the end. The Mugabe elite and members of his ruling Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party will take the victory — however gained — and deny that violence and intimidation drove Tsvangirai out of the election. Tsvangirai was faced with the dilemma of remaining in the race and seeing little chance of a positive outcome, or withdrawing and seeing violence against his supporters diminish. He chose the latter. At least he has survived to contest another day — and another election. The Mugabe regime –- made up of Mugabe, the heads of the country's security services and top ZANU-PF officials — will likely remain in lockdown mode even after the June 27 election to ensure that their grip on power is not subverted. Though Tsvangirai called for U.N. intervention, such a move is not likely, given the struggles the United Nations has faced trying to raise forces for existing missions in places such as Sudan and Somalia. Though a U.N. intervention is unlikely, the Mugabe regime will face intense pressure from regional and international states to reintroduce democracy and pull Zimbabwe back from the brink. This election is yet another incident that has brought criticism not only of Zimbabwe, but of Africa and its impotence in the face of blatant election thievery. Vocal criticism is unlikely to get the Mugabe regime to budge. The next move will likely come from South Africa, the region's powerbroker that has led mediation efforts in Zimbabwe. The MDC has little faith in the capabilities of South African President Thabo Mbeki. But if Mbeki fails to pull Mugabe back from the brink, whatever is left of South Africa's international influence — at least under Mbeki — will be shattered. With Tsvangirai's pullout from the runoff election, however, the struggle for control in Zimbabwe is far from over.