The Christian Democratic Party (, PDC) was a

political alliance A parliamentary group, parliamentary caucus or political group is a group consisting of members of different political parties or independent politicians with similar ideologies. Some parliamentary systems allow smaller political parties, who a ...

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 ...

History

The PDC was established by brothers Joseph Biroli and Jean Ntitendereza shortly before independence after leaving the

Union for National Progress The Union for National Progress (, UPRONA) is a nationalist political party in Burundi. Initially it emerged as a nationalist united front in opposition to Belgian colonial rule but subsequently became an integral part of the one-party state esta ...

(UPRONA).Ellen K. Eggers (2006) ''Historical Dictionary of Burundi'', Scarecrow Press, p. 125. In September 1960 the party joined the

Common Front In politics, a common front is an alliance between different groups, forces, or interests in pursuit of a common goal or in opposition to a common enemy. Other words that may be used are "alliance" or "coalition", though the term "common front" is ...

alliance, alongside the Party of the People (PP), the Democratic and Rural Party, the People's Emancipation Party, the Murundi People's Voice and several other smaller parties. Local elections in November and December 1960 saw the PDC emerge as the largest party, winning 2,004 seats to UPRONA's 545. However, in the September 1961 parliamentary elections the Common Front won only six seats, of which the PDC took just two. The alliance was heavily beaten by UPRONA, which won 58 seats. In October 1961, UPRONA leader and Prime Minister

Prince Louis Rwagasore Prince Louis Rwagasore (; 10 January 1932 – 13 October 1961) was a Burundian prince and politician, who was the second prime minister of Burundi for two weeks, from 28 September 1961 until his assassination on 13 October. Born to the Ganwa f ...

was assassinated by Jean Kageorgis, who was in the pay of the PDC. The assassination was organised by Biroli and Ntitendereza with the encouragement of some Belgian officials, and aimed to create turmoil from which the PDC would benefit.Eggers, p. 18. After independence Biroli and Ntitendereza were sentenced to death; Biroli was killed on 14 January 1963, whilst Ntitendereza was hanged in

Gitega Gitega (), formerly Kitega, is the political capital of Burundi. Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau roughly east of Bujumbura, the largest city and former political capital, Gitega is the country's fourth la ...

in 1962.Eggers, p. 120. With the PDC's loss in the legislative elections and the execution of Ntidendereza and Biroli, the party ceased to be a viable political force.

References

{{Burundian political parties Defunct political parties in Burundi Christianity in Burundi Christian democratic parties in Africa