# National Revolutionary Movement for Development

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Rwandan ruling party from 1975 to 1994

National Revolutionary Movement for Development Mouvement révolutionaire national pour le développement President Juvénal Habyarimana (1975–1994) Théodore Sindikubwabo (1994) Vice President Eduoard Karemera Founder Juvénal Habyarimana Founded 5 July 1975 (50 years, 362 days) Banned 15 July 1994 (31 years, 352 days) Preceded by Parmehutu Succeeded by Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (not legal successor) Headquarters Kigali, Rwanda Newspaper Kangura RTLM (Radio) Youth wing Interahamwe[1] Ideology Hutu nationalism Social conservatism[2] Totalitarianism[3] Anti-communism[4] Factions: Hutu Power Ultranationalism Ethnonationalism Political position Right-wing to far-right[1] International affiliation Christian Democrat and People's Parties International Colours Black National Development Council (1988) 70 / 70 Party flag Politics of Rwanda Political parties Elections

Politics of Rwanda Constitution Human rights International Criminal Tribunal Government President Paul Kagame Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva Cabinet Parliament Senate President: François-Xavier Kalinda Chamber of Deputies Speaker: Gertrude Kazarwa Judiciary Supreme Court Administrative divisions Provinces Districts Sectors Cells Villages Elections Recent elections President: 2017 2024 Assembly: 2018 2024 Senate: 2011 2019 Political parties Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister: Olivier Nduhungirehe Diplomatic missions of / in Rwanda Passport Visa requirements Visa policy United Nations in Rwanda UNOMUR UNAMIR UNREO v t e

This article is part of a series about Juvénal Habyarimana Early life and education Death Dictator of Rwanda 1973–1994 Rwanda under the Habyarimana dynasty Government 1973 Rwandan coup d'état MRND Interahamwe Hutu Nationalism 1978 constitutional referendum 1981 parliamentary election 1983 parliamentary election 1988 parliamentary election Arusha Accords Presidential elections 1978 1983 1988 Battles/wars Bugesera invasion (disputed) Civil War Ideology Far-right politics Hutu supremacism Anti-communism Social conservatism Right-wing authoritarianism Totalitarianism Military dictatorship Anti-Tutsi sentiment v t e

The **National Revolutionary Movement for Development** ([French](/source/French_language): *Mouvement révolutionnaire national pour le développement*, MRND) was the ruling political party of [Rwanda](/source/Rwanda) from 1975 to 1994 under President [Juvénal Habyarimana](/source/Juv%C3%A9nal_Habyarimana), running with first Vice President [Édouard Karemera](/source/%C3%89douard_Karemera). From 1978 to 1991, the MRND was the only legal political party in the country. It was dominated by [Hutus](/source/Hutu), 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](/source/Agathe_Habyarimana) are known as the [akazu](/source/Akazu).[5] In 1991, the party was renamed the **National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development** ([French](/source/French_language): *Mouvement républicain national pour la démocratie et le développement*, MRND or MRNDD).

Following the [Rwandan genocide](/source/Rwandan_genocide) in 1994, the party was banned.

## History

The party was established by Habyarimana on 5 July 1975,[6] exactly two years after he [had ousted](/source/1973_Rwandan_coup_d'%C3%A9tat) the first post-independence president [Grégoire Kayibanda](/source/Gr%C3%A9goire_Kayibanda) in a *coup d'état*. Habyarimana established a [totalitarian state](/source/Totalitarian_state) and banned the [Parmehutu](/source/Parmehutu) party, which had been dominated by Hutus from southern Rwanda.[7] The MRND replaced Parmehutu as the [sole legally permitted party](/source/One-party_state) in Rwanda.[8] A new constitution was approved in a [1978 referendum](/source/Rwandan_constitutional_referendum%2C_1978). It codified the MRND's status as the only legal party, and declared that every Rwandan citizen was automatically a member of the MRND.[9][10]

[Presidential elections](/source/Rwandan_presidential_election%2C_1978) were held in 1978 with Habyarimana as the sole candidate. He was re-elected with 99% of the vote.[11] [Parliamentary elections](/source/Rwandan_parliamentary_election%2C_1981) followed in 1981, with two MRND candidates contesting each of the 64 seats. Habyarimana was re-elected again in [1983](/source/Rwandan_presidential_election%2C_1983) and [1988](/source/Rwandan_presidential_election%2C_1988), whilst parliamentary elections were held under the same system in [1983](/source/Rwandan_parliamentary_election%2C_1983) (with the National Assembly enlarged to 70 seats) and [1988](/source/Rwandan_parliamentary_election%2C_1988).

The party's name was changed after the legalisation of opposition parties in 1991. The youth wing of the party, the *[interahamwe](/source/Interahamwe)*, later developed into a militia group that played a key role in the [Genocide against Tutsi](/source/Rwandan_genocide).[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](/source/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](/source/Rwandan_Patriotic_Front) led by [Paul Kagame](/source/Paul_Kagame), both the MRND and the CDR were driven from power and banned in July 1994.[12]

## Ideology

Habyarimana was described as relatively [moderate](/source/Moderate_(politics)),[13][14] though he (and his regime) are said to have used propaganda methods, [ethnically discriminating](/source/Discrimination#Race_or_ethnicity) against the [Tutsi](/source/Tutsi) (albeit less extreme than their predecessors),[14][15] advanced a conservative social agenda[2] and were [anti-communist](/source/Anti-communist).[4]

## 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

### National Development Council 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

- [Parmehutu](/source/Parmehutu)

- [Edouard Karemera](/source/Edouard_Karemera)

- [Coalition for the Defence of the Republic](/source/Coalition_for_the_Defence_of_the_Republic)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Fascism_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Fascism_1-1) ["Far-Right Politics and Its Historical Marriage to Fascism"](https://brewminate.com/far-right-politics-and-its-historical-marriage-to-fascism/). Brewminate. 2024-11-20. Retrieved 2025-02-14. On 5 July 1975, exactly two years after the 1973 Rwandan coup d'état, the far right National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND) was founded under president Juvénal Habyarimana. [...] The Interahamwe was formed around 1990 as the youth wing of the MRND and enjoyed the backing of the Hutu Power government.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Bauer_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Bauer_2-1) Bauer, Gretchen (2011). *Sub-Saharan Africa*. Routledge. p. 93. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781136819155](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781136819155). {{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: |work= ignored ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#periodical_ignored))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Peasant Ideology and Genocide in Rwanda Under Habyarimana"](https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/92171/GS19.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 2019-10-30.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ButareK_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ButareK_4-1) 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](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780865850286](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780865850286).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Aspegren_5-0)** Aspegren, Lennart (2006). *Never again?: Rwanda and the World*. The Raoul Wallenberg Institute human rights library. Vol. 26. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 173. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9004151818](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9004151818). {{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: |work= ignored ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#periodical_ignored))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Guichaoua, André (2015). *From War to Genocide: Criminal Politics in Rwanda, 1990–1994*. University of Wisconsin Press. p. [14](https://books.google.com/books?id=KseuCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA14). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780299298203](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780299298203).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Mckinney, Stephanie L. (2012). *Narrating genocide on the streets of Kigali*. Routledge. p. 161. {{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: |work= ignored ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#periodical_ignored))

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Niesen_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Niesen_8-1) Niesen, Peter (2013). *Political party bans in Rwanda 1994–2003: three narratives of justification*. Routledge. p. 113. {{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: |work= ignored ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#periodical_ignored))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Aimable Twagilimana (2007) *Historical Dictionary of Rwanda*, Scarecrow Press, p. 116.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [Constitution de la République Rwandaise du 20 décembre 1978](http://mjp.univ-perp.fr/constit/rw1978.htm), Art. 7: "Tout Rwandais est de plein droit membre du Mouvement révolutionnaire national pour le développement."

1. **[^](#cite_ref-AED_11-0)** [Elections in Rwanda](http://africanelections.tripod.com/rw.html) African Elections Database

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Robert E. Gribbin (2005) *In the Aftermath of Genocide: The U.S. Role in Rwanda*, iUniverse, p153

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** 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](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0812233824](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0812233824).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Feher_14-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Feher_14-1) Feher, Michael (2000). [*Powerless by Design: The Age of the International Community*](https://archive.org/details/powerlessbydesig00mich/page/59). Public Planet Series. Duke University Press. p. [59](https://archive.org/details/powerlessbydesig00mich/page/59). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0822326132](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0822326132).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Somerville_15-0)** Somerville, Keith (2012). *Radio Propaganda and the Broadcasting of Hatred: Historical Development and Definitions*. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 167.

v t e Political parties in Rwanda Parliament Ruling coalition (40) Rwandan Patriotic Front (36) Centrist Democratic Party (1) Democratic Union of the Rwandan People (1) Ideal Democratic Party (1) Party for Progress and Concord (1) Other parties (12) Social Democratic Party (5) Liberal Party (4) Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (2) Social Party Imberakuri (2) Unrepresented Ishema Party Prosperity and Solidarity Party Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change PDR-Ihumure Rwanda National Congress Rwandan Socialist Party United Democratic Forces of Rwanda RDR Banned Coalition for the Defence of the Republic Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda National Revolutionary Movement for Development Republican Democratic Movement Defunct Association for Social Promotion of the Masses Parmehutu Rwandese National Union Portal:Politics List of political parties Politics of Rwanda

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF National United States France BnF data Other IdRef

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