Editing Republican Democratic Movement

{{Short description|Rwandan political party}}
{{Infobox political party
| name           = Republican Democratic Movement
| native_name    = Mouvement démocratique républicain
| logo           =
| foundation     = {{start date|1991}}
| banned         = {{end date|2003}}
| successor      = [[Party for Progress and Concord]]
| headquarters   = [[Kigali]], [[Rwanda]]
| ideology       = [[Hutu]] interests<br/> [[Hutu Power]] (extremist factions)
| position       = [[Centre-right]] to [[right-wing]] <br/> [[Far-right]] (extremist factions)
| national       =
| colorcode      = {{party color|Republican Democratic Movement}}
| country        = Rwanda
}}
The '''Republican Democratic Movement''' ({{langx|fr|Mouvement démocratique républicain}}, MDR) was a political party in [[Rwanda]].

==History==
The party was established in 1991,<ref name=BBC>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3174211.stm Profiles: Kagame's opponents] BBC News, 22 August 2003</ref> after the [[National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development]] (MRND) lost its monopoly on politics and opposition parties were legalised. The MDR took its name from [[Parmehutu|MDR-Parmehutu]], the ruling party in the early 1960s. Like Parmehutu, the MDR's primary base of political support was Hutus in the centre of the country, particularly Kayibanda's home prefecture of [[Gitarama]].

In late 1991, the MDR joined with the [[Liberal Party (Rwanda)|Liberal Party]] and the [[Social Democratic Party (Rwanda)|Social Democratic Party]] to form an opposition coalition that placed pressure on President [[Juvénal Habyarimana]] and the MRND to implement democratic reforms.  In March 1992 Habyarimana named a multiparty government with a Prime Minister, [[Dismas Nsengiyaremye]], from the MDR.<ref>Gérard Prunier (1995) ''The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide'', Columbia University Press, p145</ref>  He was succeeded as Prime Minister in July 1993 by another MDR member, [[Agathe Uwilingiyimana]].

The MDR was ostensibly moderate but developed numerous extremist factions which professed [[Hutu Power]] beliefs. The most prominent extremist faction of the MDR was led by the party's vice president, [[Froduald Karamira]], who was later executed for his participation in the 1994 [[Rwandan genocide]].

After its victory in the [[Rwandan Civil War]] in 1994, the [[Rwandan Patriotic Front]] (RPF) named a new [[Broad Based Government of National Unity]] with the MDR's [[Faustin Twagiramungu]] as Prime Minister. He remained in office until 1995. In 2001, the MDR's [[Bernard Makuza]] was named prime minister.

With elections scheduled for mid-2003, the MDR was the only opposition party able to challenge the RPF. However, on 15 April 2003, Parliament voted to dissolve the party and accused it of being "divisionist".<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-aug-25-fg-rwanda25-story.html Rwanda Holds First Election Since Genocide] LA Times, 25 August 2003</ref> Several former MDR members formed the [[Party for Progress and Concord]] later that year.<ref name=BBC/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Rwandan political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Defunct political parties in Rwanda]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in Rwanda]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1991]]
[[Category:2003 disestablishments in Rwanda]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 2003]]


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