The Social Democratic Party (french: Parti Social Démocrate) is a

centre-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...

social democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...

political party in

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

. The party is seen as supportive of the

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who is the 4th and current president of Rwanda since 2000. He previously served as a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Uganda-based rebel ...

government.

History

The party was established on 1 July 1991 by Félicien Gatabazi and

Frédéric Nzamurambaho Frédéric and Frédérick are the French versions of the common male given name Frederick. They may refer to: In artistry: * Frédéric Back, Canadian award-winning animator * Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor * Frédéric Bazille, Impress ...

, and was nicknamed the "Party of Intellectuals".Aimable Twagilimana (2007) ''Historical Dictionary of Rwanda'', Scarecrow Press, p180 It formed a bloc opposing President

Juvénal Habyarimana Juvénal Habyarimana (, ; 8 March 19376 April 1994) was a Rwandan politician and military officer who served as the second president of Rwanda, from 1973 until 1994. He was nicknamed ''Kinani'', a Kinyarwanda word meaning "invincible". An ethn ...

alongside the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

and the

Republican Democratic Movement The Republican Democratic Movement (french: Mouvement démocratique républicain, MDR) was a political party in Rwanda. History The party was established in 1991,

, but by the time of the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

, it was the only major party that Habyarimana had failed to split. The PSD's main leaders were killed in the morning of the first day of the genocide as

Théoneste Bagosora Théoneste Bagosora (16 August 1941 – 25 September 2021) was a Rwandan military officer. He was chiefly known for his key role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal ...

sought to create a vacuum in order to seize power. At the end of the genocide the party joined the national unity government. It supported President

in the 2003 presidential elections, and received 12% of the vote in the 2003 parliamentary elections, winning seven seats. The party's vote share rose to 13% in the 2008 elections, as it retained its seven seats. In the 2010 presidential elections the party fielded

Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

as its candidate; he received 5% of the vote, coming second to Kagame, who received 93%. In the 2013 parliamentary elections the party again received 13% of the vote, winning seven seats. It was reduced to five seats in the

2018 elections The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. Africa *2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018 *2018 Sierra Leonean general elect ...

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Chamber of Deputies elections

References

External links

Official website
{{Rwandan political parties Political parties in Rwanda Political parties established in 1991 1991 establishments in Rwanda Social democratic parties