The National Revolutionary Movement for Development was the ruling political party of Rwanda from 1975 to 1994 under President Juvénal Habyarimana, running with first Vice President Édouard Karemera. From 1978 to 1991, the MRND was the only legal political party in the country. It was dominated by Hutus, particularly from President Habyarimana's home region of Northern Rwanda. The elite group of MRND party members who were known to have influence on the President and his wife are known as the akazu. In 1991, the party was renamed the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (French: Mouvement républicain national pour la démocratie et le développement, MRND or MRNDD).
Following the Rwandan genocide in 1994, the party was banned.
History
The party was established by Habyarimana on 5 July 1975,2 exactly two years after he had ousted the first post-independence president Grégoire Kayibanda in a coup d'état. Habyarimana established a totalitarian state and banned the Parmehutu party, which had been dominated by Hutus from southern Rwanda.3 The MRND replaced Parmehutu as the sole legally permitted party in Rwanda.4 A new constitution was approved in a 1978 referendum. It codified the MRND's status as the only legal party, and declared that every Rwandan citizen was automatically a member of the MRND.56
Presidential elections were held in 1978 with Habyarimana as the sole candidate. He was re-elected with 99% of the vote.7 Parliamentary elections followed in 1981, with two MRND candidates contesting each of the 64 seats. Habyarimana was re-elected again in 1983 and 1988, whilst parliamentary elections were held under the same system in 1983 (with the National Assembly enlarged to 70 seats) and 1988.
The party's name was changed after the legalisation of opposition parties in 1991. The youth wing of the party, the interahamwe, later developed into a militia group that played a key role in the Genocide against Tutsi.8 After Habyarimana's death in April 1994, hardline elements of the party were among the chief architects of the genocide; the Coalition for the Defence of the Republic (CDR), which played a significant role, was originally a hard-line faction of the MRND that became a separate party.
After Rwanda was conquered by the rival Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front led by Paul Kagame, both the MRND and the CDR were driven from power and banned in July 1994.9
Ideology
Habyarimana was described as relatively moderate,1011 though he (and his regime) are said to have used propaganda methods, ethnically discriminating against the Tutsi (albeit less extreme than their predecessors),1213 advanced a conservative social agenda14 and were anti-communist.15
Structure
Habyarimana was the president of the party, and as such was the only candidate for president of the republic. However, in a minor concession to democracy, voters were presented with two MRND candidates at Legislative Assembly elections.
Electoral history
Presidential elections
| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Juvénal Habyarimana | 98.99% | Elected Y | |
| 1983 | 99.97% | Elected Y | ||
| 1988 | 99.98% | Elected Y |
Chamber of Deputies elections
| Election | Party leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Juvénal Habyarimana | 2,100,770 | 100% | 64 / 64 | 64 | 1st | Sole legal party |
| 1983 | 2,364,592 | 100% | 70 / 70 | 6 | 1st | Sole legal party | |
| 1988 | 2,701,682 | 100% | 70 / 70 | 1st | Sole legal party |
See also
References
Aspegren, Lennart (2006). Never again?: Rwanda and the World. The Raoul Wallenberg Institute human rights library. Vol. 26. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 173. ISBN 9004151818. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help) 9004151818 ↩
Guichaoua, André (2015). From War to Genocide: Criminal Politics in Rwanda, 1990–1994. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 14. ISBN 9780299298203. 9780299298203 ↩
Mckinney, Stephanie L. (2012). Narrating genocide on the streets of Kigali. Routledge. p. 161. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help) /wiki/Template:Cite_book ↩
Niesen, Peter (2013). Political party bans in Rwanda 1994–2003: three narratives of justification. Routledge. p. 113. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help) /wiki/Template:Cite_book ↩
Aimable Twagilimana (2007) Historical Dictionary of Rwanda, Scarecrow Press, p. 116. ↩
Constitution de la République Rwandaise du 20 décembre 1978, Art. 7: "Tout Rwandais est de plein droit membre du Mouvement révolutionnaire national pour le développement." http://mjp.univ-perp.fr/constit/rw1978.htm ↩
Elections in Rwanda African Elections Database http://africanelections.tripod.com/rw.html ↩
Niesen, Peter (2013). Political party bans in Rwanda 1994–2003: three narratives of justification. Routledge. p. 113. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help) /wiki/Template:Cite_book ↩
Robert E. Gribbin (2005) In the Aftermath of Genocide: The U.S. Role in Rwanda, iUniverse, p153 ↩
Murphy, Sean D. (1996). Humanitarian intervention: The United Nations in an evolving world order. Procedural aspects of international law series. Vol. 21. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 243. ISBN 0812233824. 0812233824 ↩
Feher, Michael (2000). Powerless by Design: The Age of the International Community. Public Planet Series. Duke University Press. p. 59. ISBN 0822326132. 0822326132 ↩
Feher, Michael (2000). Powerless by Design: The Age of the International Community. Public Planet Series. Duke University Press. p. 59. ISBN 0822326132. 0822326132 ↩
Somerville, Keith (2012). Radio Propaganda and the Broadcasting of Hatred: Historical Development and Definitions. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 167. ↩
Bauer, Gretchen (2011). Sub-Saharan Africa. Routledge. p. 93. ISBN 9781136819155. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help) 9781136819155 ↩
Butare-Kiyovu, James (2010). "Discovering and Addressing the Root Causes of Genocide in Rwanda". International Development from a Kingdom Perspective. William Carey International University international development series. WCIU Press. p. 159. ISBN 9780865850286. 9780865850286 ↩