DRC: Inactive and defunct political parties (continued)

Political organisations formed before 1965

Parties ordered by date of founding and alphabetically.

Note: Those parties that had not already ceased to exist by 1965 were banned by Mobutu Sese Seko in November of that year. Parties that did not go underground ceased to exist.

Party Remarks
Alliance des Ba-Kongo (ABAKO)
Association of the Bakongo
Leaders: Joseph Kasa-Vubu (d 1969)
Founded 1950
Kongo ethnic cultural association
Socialist Action Founded December 1957
Centre de Regroupement Africain (CEREA)
Africans Regrouping Centre
Leaders: Kashamura, Bisukiro and Weremre (party split in three factions each following one of these three)
Founded August 1958
National party with regional base
Convention Nationale Congolaise (CONACO)
Formerly: Confederation des Associations Tribales du Katanga (CONAKAT)
Leaders: Moïse Tshombe (d 1969), Munongo.
Formed October 1958.
Started as regional trans-ethnic grouping, became national organisation in 1965 through coalitions with other parties.
Union Congolaise
Congolese Union
Founded before 1959
Parti Solidaire Africain (PSA)
African Solidarity Party
Leaders: Cléophas Kamitatu, Antoine Gizenga
Founded April 1959
Party with national asperations, but a regional base
Mouvement National du Congo - Kalonji (MNC-K) Leader: Joseph Kalonji
Founded July 1959
Katanga Progressive Party Leaders: Sendwe, Ilunga
Founded November 1959
Regional Luba ethnic party, from the cultural association the Association Générale des Baluba du Katanga (BALUBAKAT)
National Party for Progress (PNP) Bolya
Formed November 1959
Small party with national base
Union des Mongo
Mongu Union (UNIMO)
Leaders: Bomboka, Ndjoku
Formed January 1960.
Ethnic party formed from the cultural association the Mongo Federation
Parti National de la Convention du Peuple (PNCP) Leader: Yvon Mabanda
Founded 1960
Association des Tshokwe du Congo Belge, d'Angola et de la Rhodésie
Association of Tshokwe from Belgian Congo, Angola and Rhodesia (ATCAR)
Trans-colonial ethnic federation
Association of Upper Congo Nationals (ASSORECO) Regional trans-ethnic grouping
Democratic Rally of the Lake Leopold II and of the Kwango–Kwilu (RDLK) Regional trans-ethnic grouping
Coalition Kasaienne (COAKA)
Kasai Coalition
Regional trans-ethnic party
Kwangolese Union Regional party from the cultural association the Kwangolese Federation
Union Kwangolaise pour l'Indépendence et la Liberté(LUKA)
Kwangolese Union for Independence and Liberty
Trans-colonial ethnic federation
Maluba Solidarity Movement (MSM) Luba ethnic party
Mouvement National du Congo/Nendaka (MNC/N) Leader: Gombe Victor Nendaka
Founded 1965
Mouvement de l'Unité Basonge
Movement for the Unity of the Basongye (MUB)
Ethnic party formed from the cultural association the Basongye Association
Parti de l'Unité Nationale (PUNA)
National Unity Party
Ethnic party from the cultural association the Liboke lya Bangala, with national ambitions
Union of Bateke (UNIBAT) Ethnic party
Warega Union (UNEREGA) Ethnic party

Sources

KABEMBA, C 2004, Perspectives on the Role of Key Stakeholders in the DRC's Political Transition.

LODGE, T, KADIMA, D & POTTIE, D (eds) 2002 Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa, EISA, 62-68.

MURISON, K (ed) 2001 Africa South of the Sahara 2002, Europa Publications, 264.

MTHEMBU-SALTER, G 2002, "The Democratic Republic of the Congo: Recent History" IN Murison, K (ed), Africa South of the Sahara 2002, Europa Publications, 264.

NGOY-KANGOY, HK 2006 Parties and Political Transition in the Democratic Republic of Congo [PDF document], EISA Research Report No 20.

SCHMIDT, S & STROUX, D 1999 "Congo (Democratic Republic)" IN Nohlen, D, Kennerich, M & Thibaut, B (eds) Elections in Africa: A Data Handbook, OUP, 288-289.

WIKIPEDIA UNDATED, "Political parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo", [www] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Political_parties_in_the_Democratic_Republic_ of_the_Congo [opens new window] (accessed 23 Oct 2007).