We present a parallel implementation of a string-driven general active space configuration interaction program for nonrelativistic and scalar-relativistic electronic-structure calculations. The code has been modularly incorporated in the DIRAC quantum chemistry program package. The implementation is based on the message passing interface and a distributed data model in order to efficiently exploit key features of various modern computer architectures. We exemplify the nearly linear scalability of our parallel code in large-scale multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations, and we discuss the parallel speedup with respect to machine-dependent aspects. The largest sample MRCI calculation includes 1.5x10(9) Slater determinants. Using the new code we determine for the first time the full short-range electronic potentials and spectroscopic constants for the ground state and for eight low-lying excited states of the weakly bound molecular system (Rb-Ba)+ with the spin-orbit-free Dirac formalism and using extensive uncontracted basis sets. The time required to compute to full convergence these electronic states for (Rb-Ba)+ in a single-point MRCI calculation correlating 18 electrons and using 16 cores was reduced from more than 10 days to less than 1 day.