Presidential elections were held in

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

on 1 June 1993 following the approval of a new constitution in a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

the previous year. They were the first multi-party elections for the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

, the only previous elections in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

having been held at a time when the country was a

one-party state A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. In a one-party state, all opposition parties are either outlawed or en ...

. They were also only the second contested national elections held in the country since independence in 1962. Three candidates entered the contest, with

Melchior Ndadaye Melchior Ndadaye (28 March 1953 – 21 October 1993) was a Burundian banker and politician who became the first democratically elected and first Hutu president of Burundi after winning the landmark 1993 Burundian presidential election, 1993 electi ...

of the

Front for Democracy in Burundi The Front for Democracy in Burundi (, FRODEBU) is a democratic socialist political party in Burundi. History It was formed by followers of Melchior Ndadaye from the disbanded Burundi Workers' Party in 1986. FRODEBU was legalized as a politic ...

defeating incumbent President Pierre Buyoya with 66% of the vote. Voter turnout was 97%.Burundi: 1993 Presidential election results
EISA This election was a watershed for Burundi. It represented the end of the military-backed Tutsi-dominated state that had been in place since 1966, and the first peaceful transfer of power in the country’s republican history.

Candidates

*Pierre Buyoya, the incumbent president who seized power in a 1987 military coup. A Tutsi from

Bururi Province Bururi Province is one of the eighteen provinces of Burundi, provinces of Burundi. It was formerly Burundi's largest province until the communes of Commune of Burambi, Burambi, Commune of Buyengero, Buyengero and Commune of Rumonge, Rumonge were t ...

, he was the candidate for the ruling Union for National Progress. He ran on a platform of national unity and was supported by two predominantly Tutsi parties, the Rally for Democracy and Economic and Social Development (RADDES) and the Social Democratic Party. *Melchior Ndadaye', the leader and candidate of the

(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 Burundi (RPB), the People's Party (PP), and 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. For example, while the political systems ...

(PL). *Pierre-Claver Sendegeya, a Hutu and candidate of the monarchist People's Reconciliation Party (PRP).

Results

Aftermath

Melchior Ndadaye's election victory put FRODEBU in prime position for a comfortable win in the parliamentary election held on 29 June 1993. Ndadaye was sworn in as the first Hutu

president of Burundi The president of Burundi, officially the President of the Republic (French language, French: ''Président de la République''), is the head of state and head of government of the Burundi, Republic of Burundi. The president is also commander-in-c ...

on 10 July 1993. His rule would be short, however, as he was assassinated on 21 October 1993 during a military coup attempt by elements of the predominantly Tutsi army. Thereafter, the country plunged into a full-scale

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

References

{{Burundian elections Presidential elections in Burundi

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...