Democratic Engineering in Rwanda and Burundi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kagabo, Jean-Marie.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social conditions.

Politics and government.

Democracy.

Democracy--Burundi--History.

Democracy--Rwanda--History.

Rwanda.

Burundi.

Burundi--Social conditions.

Rwanda--Social conditions.

Burundi--Politics and government.

Rwanda--Politics and government.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (450 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Fountain Publishers Limited, 2018.

Summary:

In Democratic Engineering in Rwanda and Burundi the author argues that a democratic model which is suitable for single-cultural societies may not be applicable in multicultural societies; he illustrates that the liberal and socialist theories have not addressed the issue of national minorities which threatens peace and stability in most African countries. The author investigates the form of democratic engineering that would harmonise ethnic relations and guard against ethnic discrimination and violence. He explores the consociational and integrative theories to identify a suitable democratic system that would stabilise Rwanda and Burundi. He analyses the pros and the cons of the present options adopted by Rwanda and Burundi to address the question of ethnicity and also assesses the potential of a number of other solutions.

Contents:

Cover

Title page

Copyright page

Dedication

Contents

Acronyms

Foreword

Acknowledgement

Introduction

PART I. Democracy, Multiculturalism and Multi-ethnicity in Africa

CHAPTER 1 - Exploring the Idea of a Multicultural Society

Clarification of concepts

Self-determination

Cultural differences

The representation process

Minority rights in Western political traditions

The liberal tradition

The socialist tradition

Liberal defence of minorities

Cultural affiliation as a condition for freedom

Group equality as a condition for equality of citizens

Group representation as a condition for political equality

CHAPTER 2 - Multi-ethnicity and Democracy in Africa

Slow pace of democracy in Africa

Right to Err

Neo-patrimonial inertia in African transitional regimes

Ethnicity as a basis for democratic pluralism

The price of ignoring the ethnic factor

Perspectives of ethnicity in Africa

The instrumentalist school: Exclusion of ethnicity from politics

The Primordialist School: Recognition of ethnic loyalty

Pragmatic arrangements and institutional engineering

Decentralisation and federalisation

Power alternation

Chambers of representatives

Creating positions of co-vice president

Limited terms of office

Demarcating electoral constituencies

Election rules and strategies

Election sequence

CHAPTER 3 - Consociational Democracy and the Multi-cultural Challenge

Two Democratic Models: Majoritarian and Consociational

The normative character of the consociational model

Elements of consociational democracy

The grand coalition

Segmental autonomy

Proportionality

Mutual veto

Conditions for consociational democracy

Balance of power

Size of the country

Cross-cutting divisions and transcendent loyalties

Segmental isolation.

A tradition of consensus and compromise

Is the consociational model efficient?

The consociational model and the quality of democracy

Some criticisms

Performance

The consociational model and governmental efficiency

Some performance records

Consociational engineering

CHAPTER 4 - Majoritarian Preferential Voting and the Multi-cultural Challenge

Major electoral systems

Functioning of preferential/alternative voting

Example of an election day under the preferential voting system

Merits of preferential voting

Shortcomings of alternative voting

PART II. The Hutu-Tutsi Conflict in Rwanda and Burundi

CHAPTER 5 - The Pre-colonial Period

The hypothesis of successive migratory waves

Background

Support for the migration wave theory

Gaps in the migration hypothesis

The social class hypothesis

Support for the social class hypothesis

Gaps in the social class hypothesis

The Baganwa

The Banyamabanga

Administrative and technical managers

The Banyagihugu

Conclusions from Hutu-Tutsi-Twa relationships during the pre-colonial period

A debate not easily settled

The concept of race

The concept of caste

The concept of social class

The concept of social category

The concept of ethnic group or tribe

The socio-political situation in Rwanda and Burundi on the eve of colonisation

The social situation of the Hutu and the Tutsi before colonisation

Political, administrative and military power in the hands of officials of Tutsi origin

The situation in Burundi

The situation in Rwanda

Nuances

Comparing the burden of taxation for the Tutsi and the Hutu

Relations between the Hutu and Tutsi in pre-colonial times

The Twa

CHAPTER 6 - The Colonial Period

The German Period

Colonial administrators.

Catholic missionaries and ethnicity during German colonisation

Local elites and ethnicity under German colonisation

The Belgian mandate and trusteeship

The Catholic Church and ethnicity under the Belgian mandate

Colonial administration and ethnicity

Local elites' ethnicity under the Belgian mandate

CHAPTER 7 - Preparing for Independence

Chronology of events from 1952 to 1956

Chronology of political events in Rwanda 1956-1962

Chronology of political events in Burundi 1956-1962

The Catholic Church and Hutu-Tutsi ethnic divisions

The Belgian colonial administration and the ethnicity issue on the eve of independence

The United Nations Organisation (UNO) and the issue of ethnicity

Rwanda's political elites and ethnicity on the eve of independence

Moderate positions among the Hutu elites in Rwanda at independence

Hutu elite extremism in Rwanda on the eve of independence

Moderate Tutsi elites in Rwanda on the eve of independence

Tutsi elite extremism in Rwanda on the eve of independence

Burundi political elites and ethnicity on the eve of independence

CHAPTER 8 - The Post-colonial Period

Post-colonial Rwanda

The First Republic (1962-1973)

Hutu elites in Rwanda under the First Republic

Tutsi elites in Rwanda under the First Republic

The Second Republic (1973-1990)

Hutu elites in Rwanda under the Second Republic

Tutsi elites in Rwanda under the Second Republic

Civil war and genocide against Tutsi (1990-94)

Hutu elites in Rwanda during the civil war and the genocide against Tutsi

Tutsi elites in Rwanda during the civil war and the genocide against Tutsi

The post-genocide period (1994-2003)

Hutu elites in Rwanda during the post-genocide transition

Tutsi elites in Rwanda during the post-genocide transition

A brief history of post-colonial Burundi.

The constitutional monarchy (1962-66)

Tutsi elites in Burundi under the constitutional monarchy

Hutu elites in Burundi under the constitutional monarchy

Military regimes (1966-1993)

Tutsi elite in Burundi under the military regimes

Hutu elite in Burundi under the military regimes

Failure of the democratisation process and civil war (1993-2005)

Tutsi elites in Burundi during the democratisation process and the civil war

Hutu elites in Burundi during the democratisation process and the civil war

Relations between Hutu and Tutsi elites: Comparison between Rwanda and Burundi

PART III. Defusing the Ethnic Trap in Rwanda and Burundi

CHAPTER 9 - Constitutional Engineering in Rwanda and Burundi

Pre-conditions for a consociational democracy in Rwanda and Burundi

Rwanda and Burundi as divided societies

Clear identification of the social segments

Exact population figures for Tutsi, Hutu and Twa

Replication of segmental divides

Ethnic segment-based electoral support

Meeting pre-conditions for the consociational model

Absence of a majority segment

Condition not fulfilled in Rwanda and Burundi

Segments of the same size

Condition not fulfilled

Relatively few segments

A relatively small population

Condition fulfilled

External threats

Condition not fulfilled today

Loyalty to the nation

Absence of economic inequalities between the segments

Geographical concentration of the segments

Tradition of conflict settlement by consensus

Conclusion on pre-conditions for consociational democracy

Pre-conditions for alternative voting in Rwanda and Burundi

Hierarchical and non-hierarchical ethnic groups

Meeting pre-conditions for "vote pooling".

Relevance of ethnic-based power-sharing

Arguments for ethnic-based power-sharing

Political versus ethnic majority

Genocide against Tutsi as a defining moment

Divergences in reading and interpreting history

Addressing mistrust and revenge

Why ethnicity cannot be ignored

The challenge of creating multi-ethnic parties

Democracy and economic development

Power-sharing in the transitional phase

Arguments against ethnic-based power-sharing

Perpetuation of ethnocentrism

Ethnic antagonisms

Legal proof of ethnic identity

Opening the Pandora box

Relevance of political parties in ethnic-based power-sharing

Background to political engineering in Rwanda and Burundi

Burundi: Negotiations undertaken by all political parties and movements

Tutsi political elites

Hutu political elites

The international community

Tanzanian and South African mediation

Participants in the negotiations

Rwanda: Democratic engineering by a constitutional commission

CHAPTER 10 - Burundi's Democratic Options

Burundi's political system in light of presidential, parliamentary and directorial regimes

Overview of the parliamentary, presidential and directorial systems

Background to Burundian institutions

The executive

The Presidency

Presidential prerogatives and relations with other institutions

Government

Legislative power

The lower house (national assembly)

The upper house (senate)

Structure of Burundi parliament

Assessment of Burundi political engineering

Comparison with the directorial democracy

Comparison with the parliamentary regime

Comparison with the presidential regime

Comparison with the semi-presidential regime

Burundi's transition led to a presidentialist regime.

Burundi's political engineering in light of majoritarian, consociational and integrative models of democracy.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9789970196722

9970196723

OCLC:

1338131896