Burundi presidential election, 1993
Encyclopedia
Presidential elections were held in Burundi
on 1 June 1993 following the approval of a new constitution in a referendum the previous year. They were the first multi-party elections for president, the only previous election in 1984
having been held at a time when the country was a one-party state.
Three candidates entered the contest, with Melchior Ndadaye
of the Front for Democracy in Burundi
defeating incumbent President Pierre Buyoya
with 66% of the vote. Voter turnout was 97.3%.
Ndadaye was sworn in as the first Hutu president of Burundi on 10 July 1993. His rule would be short, however, as he was assassinated on 21 October 1993 during a military coup by elements of the predominantly Tutsi army. Thereafter, the country plunged into a full-scale civil war
that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
on 1 June 1993 following the approval of a new constitution in a referendum the previous year. They were the first multi-party elections for president, the only previous election in 1984
Burundian presidential election, 1984
Presidential elections were held for the first time in Burundi in July 1984. Incumbent Jean-Baptiste Bagaza of the Union for National Progress was the only candidate, and was re-elected with 99.63% of the vote. Voter turnout was 98.3%.-Results:...
having been held at a time when the country was a one-party state.
Three candidates entered the contest, with Melchior Ndadaye
Melchior Ndadaye
Melchior Ndadaye was a Burundian intellectual and politician. He was the first democratically elected and first Hutu president of Burundi after winning the landmark 1993 election...
of the Front for Democracy in Burundi
Front for Democracy in Burundi
The Front for Democracy in Burundi is a progressive political party in Burundi.It was formed by followers of Melchior Ndadaye from the disbanded Burundi Workers' Party in 1986...
defeating incumbent President Pierre Buyoya
Pierre Buyoya
Major Pierre Buyoya is a Burundian politician who has ruled Burundi twice, from 1987 to 1993 and from 1996 to 2003...
with 66% of the vote. Voter turnout was 97.3%.
Candidates
- Pierre BuyoyaPierre BuyoyaMajor Pierre Buyoya is a Burundian politician who has ruled Burundi twice, from 1987 to 1993 and from 1996 to 2003...
, the incumbent president who seized power in a 1987 military coup. A Tutsi from Bururi ProvinceBururi ProvinceBururi is one of the seventeen provinces of Burundi. It is also the largest. It includes the city of Bururi, the provincial capital, and the city of Rumonge which sits on the shores of Lake Tanganyika...
, he was the candidate for the ruling Union for National ProgressUnion for National ProgressThe Union for National Progress is a nationalist political party in Burundi, receiving most of its support from members of the Tutsi ethnic group. It is celebrated for its role in gaining Burundian independence. UPRONA's most famous prime minister and Burundi National Hero is Prince Louis Rwagasore...
. He ran on a platform of national unity and was supported by two predominantly Tutsi parties, the Rally for Democracy and Economic and Social DevelopmentRally for Democracy and Economic and Social DevelopmentThe Rally for Democracy and Economic and Social Development is a small, predominantly ethnic Tutsi political party in Burundi....
(RADDES) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD).
- Melchior NdadayeMelchior NdadayeMelchior Ndadaye was a Burundian intellectual and politician. He was the first democratically elected and first Hutu president of Burundi after winning the landmark 1993 election...
, the leader and candidate of the Front for Democracy in BurundiFront for Democracy in BurundiThe Front for Democracy in Burundi is a progressive political party in Burundi.It was formed by followers of Melchior Ndadaye from the disbanded Burundi Workers' Party in 1986...
(FRODEBU), a predominantly Hutu party founded in 1986 and officially registered in 1992. Ndadaye's candidacy was supported by three other mainly Hutu parties - the Rally for the People of BurundiRally for the People of BurundiThe Rally for the People of Burundi is a political party in Burundi. The RPB was legalized as a political party in 1992. Its first president, Ernest Kabushemeye, led the party until his assassination in 1995. Since then, Balthazar Bigirimana has been president of the party....
(RPB), the People's PartyPeople's Party (Burundi)The People's Party is a small political party in Burundi....
(PP), and the Liberal PartyLiberal Party (Burundi)The Liberal Party is a small centrist, predominantly ethnic Hutu political party in Burundi....
(PL).
- Pierre-Claver Sendegeya, a Hutu and candidate of the monarchist People's Reconciliation PartyPeople's Reconciliation PartyThe People's Reconciliation Party is a small political party in Burundi....
(PRP).
Results
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melchior Ndadaye Melchior Ndadaye Melchior Ndadaye was a Burundian intellectual and politician. He was the first democratically elected and first Hutu president of Burundi after winning the landmark 1993 election... |
Front for Democracy in Burundi Front for Democracy in Burundi The Front for Democracy in Burundi is a progressive political party in Burundi.It was formed by followers of Melchior Ndadaye from the disbanded Burundi Workers' Party in 1986... |
1,483,904 | 65.68 |
| Pierre Buyoya Pierre Buyoya Major Pierre Buyoya is a Burundian politician who has ruled Burundi twice, from 1987 to 1993 and from 1996 to 2003... |
Union for National Progress Union for National Progress The Union for National Progress is a nationalist political party in Burundi, receiving most of its support from members of the Tutsi ethnic group. It is celebrated for its role in gaining Burundian independence. UPRONA's most famous prime minister and Burundi National Hero is Prince Louis Rwagasore... |
742,360 | 32.86 |
| Pierre-Claver Sendegeya | People's Reconciliation Party People's Reconciliation Party The People's Reconciliation Party is a small political party in Burundi.... |
33,072 | 1.46 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 32,410 | ||
| Total | 2,291,746 | 100 | |
| Source: EISA | |||
Election Aftermath
Melchior Ndadaye's election victory put FRODEBU in prime position for a comfortable win in legislative elections held on 29 June 1993.Ndadaye was sworn in as the first Hutu president of Burundi on 10 July 1993. His rule would be short, however, as he was assassinated on 21 October 1993 during a military coup by elements of the predominantly Tutsi army. Thereafter, the country plunged into a full-scale civil war
Burundi Civil War
The Burundi Civil War was an armed conflict lasting from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of long standing ethnic divisions between the Hutu and the Tutsi tribes in Burundi...
that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.