The
Popular Movement of the Revolution ( or MPR) was a
ZairianThe Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971, and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".Known as the Belgian Congo up until its...
political partyA political party is a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns...
established in 1967 by then-
PresidentThe President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , is Congo's elected Head of State, and the ex officio "Supreme Commander" of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ....
Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (later called
Mobutu Sese SekoMobutu Sésé Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sésé Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, became the President of Zaire after deposing Joseph Kasavubu. He remained in office for 31.5 years...
). Its official ideology, laid down in the Manifesto of N'sele, incorporated "
nationalismNationalism is an ideology, a sentiment, a form of culture, or a social movement that focuses on the nation. It is a type of collectivism emphasizing the collective of a specific nation...
," "
revolutionA revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
," and "
authenticityAuthenticité was an official state ideology of the Mobutu regime that originated in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s in what was first the Democratic Republic of the Congo, later renamed Zaire...
." Revolution was described as a "truly national revolution, essentially pragmatic," which called for "the repudiation of both capitalism and communism." One of the MPR's slogans was "Neither left nor right," to which would be added "nor even center" in later years.
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The
Popular Movement of the Revolution ( or MPR) was a
ZairianThe Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971, and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".Known as the Belgian Congo up until its...
political partyA political party is a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns...
established in 1967 by then-
PresidentThe President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , is Congo's elected Head of State, and the ex officio "Supreme Commander" of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ....
Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (later called
Mobutu Sese SekoMobutu Sésé Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sésé Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, became the President of Zaire after deposing Joseph Kasavubu. He remained in office for 31.5 years...
). Its official ideology, laid down in the Manifesto of N'sele, incorporated "
nationalismNationalism is an ideology, a sentiment, a form of culture, or a social movement that focuses on the nation. It is a type of collectivism emphasizing the collective of a specific nation...
," "
revolutionA revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
," and "
authenticityAuthenticité was an official state ideology of the Mobutu regime that originated in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s in what was first the Democratic Republic of the Congo, later renamed Zaire...
." Revolution was described as a "truly national revolution, essentially pragmatic," which called for "the repudiation of both capitalism and communism." One of the MPR's slogans was "Neither left nor right," to which would be added "nor even center" in later years. From 1967 until 1990, it was the sole legal party in the country, and membership was compulsory for all citizens (all citizens, from birth, were automatically considered to be members). The 1974 constitution stipulated that in
ZaireThe Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971, and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".Known as the Belgian Congo up until its...
"there exists a single institution, the MPR, incarnated by its President," that the "President of the MPR is
ex officio President of the Republic, and holds the plenitude of power exercise," and that "
MobutismMobutism was an official party ideology of the Popular Movement of the Revolution as well as the official state ideology in Zaire during the latter half of the 20th century...
" was constitutional doctrine.
The single-party system lasted until April 24, 1990, the date of the proclamation of the Third Republic. On that date, Mobutu said that three political parties would be allowed, and he said that these political parties could be two factions of the MPR—moderates and hard-liners—as well as an opposition party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS). Under the new multiparty system, Mobutu said that he would be above political parties, and accordingly he resigned as the head of the MPR on the same date, although he again accepted the post of party leader a year later, on April 21, 1991. After Mobutu's fall in 1997, the party splintered into various factions.