1965 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election
General elections were held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 18 March and 30 April 1965, following the promulgation of a new constitution approved by a referendum the previous year. 223 political parties contested the election for 167 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.[1]
 |
|---|
| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| United Nations Mission |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo portal |
The elections were won by parties allied with the Congolese National Convention, led by former secessionist leader Moise Tshombe, which won a total of 80 seats.[2] Following the elections, the results were disputed by several parties. The Léopoldville Court of Appeal accepted six of them, and re-runs were required in Kivu Central, Goma-Rutshuru, Cuvette Centrale, Fizi, Kwilu and Maniema, which were held between 8 and 22 August 1965.[1]
Despite Tshombe's party winning the election, President Joseph Kasa-Vubu appointed Évariste Kimba of the Congolese Democratic Front Prime Minister, a situation which ultimately led to Joseph Mobutu carrying out a military coup in November. By the next election in 1970, Mobutu had eliminated all opposition parties, allowing his Popular Movement of the Revolution to run unopposed. As a result, the 1965 election would be the last in which opposition parties were allowed to participate until 2006.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congolese National Convention | 227,961 | 9.2 | 38 | New |
| CONAKAT | 178,302 | 7.2 | 9 | +1 |
| Congolese Democratic Union | 162,016 | 6.6 | 10 | New |
| ABAKO | 136,226 | 5.5 | 10 | –2 |
| Association of the Wanande of Beni and Lubero (CONACO) | 104,896 | 4.3 | 7 | New |
| Congolese Democratic Rally (CONACO) | 91,475 | 3.7 | 4 | New |
| Party of National Unity | 82,601 | 3.3 | 4 | –4 |
| PSA-Kamitatu | 79,358 | 3.2 | 4 | –9 |
| Mwinda-Bakongo | 68,750 | 2.8 | 5 | New |
| BALUKABAT | 64,866 | 2.6 | 3 | New |
| African Democratic Union-Lubaya | 64,845 | 2.6 | 4 | New |
| LUKA | 62,856 | 2.5 | 4 | +1 |
| Katangan Common Front | 59,223 | 2.4 | 3 | New |
| Congolese Regrouping Party (CONACO) | 56,698 | 2.3 | 4 | New |
| Congolese National Party (CONACO) | 52,060 | 2.1 | 4 | New |
| Congolese Regrouping (CONACO) | 49,675 | 2.0 | 6 | New |
| Congolese Democrat Party (CONACO) | 49,039 | 2.0 | 4 | New |
| Luba People's Rally (CONACO) | 48,944 | 2.0 | 4 | New |
| Congolese Democratic Party (CONACO) | 42,878 | 1.7 | 2 | New |
| Movement for the Democratic Evolution of Africa | 36,441 | 1.5 | 2 | New |
| Association of Socialist Christians of Congo | 36,430 | 1.5 | 3 | New |
| Congolese National Party | 35,275 | 1.4 | 3 | New |
| Popular Movement of Sankuru (CONACO) | 34,811 | 1.4 | 2 | New |
| Budjala Union | 32,780 | 1.3 | 1 | New |
| Mouvement National Congolais-Lumumba | 31,874 | 1.3 | 2 | –34 |
| PDR (CONACO) | 29,277 | 1.2 | 5 | New |
| ATCAR (CONACO) | 25,375 | 1.0 | 1 | − |
| ATCAR | 24,710 | 1.0 | 2 | +1 |
| Congolese National Convention cartels | 23,052 | 0.9 | 1 | New |
| Association of Citizens of Tshuapa | 22,011 | 0.9 | 2 | New |
| Congolese Rural Party | 21,861 | 0.9 | 1 | New |
| Union of the Citizens of Lake Leopold II | 19,944 | 0.8 | 1 | New |
| Congolese Democratic Rally | 19,912 | 0.8 | 1 | New |
| Common Front of North Kivu | 19,179 | 0.8 | 1 | New |
| Basonge Unity Movement (CONACO) | 16,314 | 0.7 | 3 | +2 |
| Congolese Democratic Party | 15,059 | 0.6 | 1 | New |
| National Public Salvation Front (CONACO) | 15,014 | 0.6 | 1 | New |
| INTERCOUP-Huapa | 11,645 | 0.5 | 1 | New |
| CTS–UPP (CONACO) | 9,781 | 0.4 | 1 | New |
| BA-LIKOLO | 9,634 | 0.4 | 1 | New |
| Association of Socialist Christians of Congo | 6,226 | 0.3 | 1 | New |
| Independents | 12,815 | 0.5 | 1 | +1 |
| Regional parties | 274,778 | 11.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2,466,957 | 100 | 167 | +30 |
| Source: Sternberger et al.[3] | ||||
References
- DRC: Electoral Operation of the 1965 election Archived 2010-09-02 at the Wayback Machine EISA
- Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p292 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
- Dolf Sternberger, Bernhard Vogel, Dieter Nohlen & Klaus Landfried (1978) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band II: Afrika, Zweiter Halbband, pp2432−2433
| Presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary elections | |
| Provincial elections | |
| Municipal elections |
|
| Referendums | |