United Congolese Party

Last updated
United Congolese Party
Parti des Congolais Unis
Leader TBD
Founder Christian Malanga
Founded2010, 2012
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Ideology Classical liberalism
Political position Centre-right
Seats in the National Assembly
0 / 500
Seats in the Senate
0 / 108
Website
https://christianmalanga.com/

The United Congolese Party (UCP; Parti des Congolais Unis - PCU) is a centre-right political party-in-exile representing domestic and diaspora interests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The party was established in 2012 by Congolese businessman Christian Malanga to serve as a platform for independent opposition candidates in the DRC. Malanga subsequently styled himself as the "President of New Zaire" and was killed in a coup attempt in Kinshasa on 19 May 2024. [1]

Contents

History

The party was initially formed as the Congolese Liberation Movement (Mouvement de Libération Congolais) in January 2010 by Kinshasan businessman and former military officer Christian Malanga. The purpose of the party was to provide organization for the loose assembly of independent opposition candidates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's parliamentary elections in 2011. [2] When party candidates were detained prior to the widely contested elections and released weeks later, [3] UCP president Christian Malanga moved the party apparatus to the Washington DC metropolitan area. [4] There the party was reformed under a new charter in October 2012 as the United Congolese Party.

On 7 April 2014, Malanga appointed Congolese soukous musician Kanda Bongo Man as the United Congolese Party's first Ambassador-at-Large in a ceremony in Washington DC. Kanda's chief duty as UCP Ambassador-at-Large is to cultivate good will and friendship with other progressive African leaders. [5] The UCP campaigns and lobbies on behalf of both domestic and international Congolese interests in preparation for the next round of national elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On 19 May 2024, Christian Malanga was killed in a coup attempt in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Malanga styled himself as the President of the New Zaire Government in Exile. [6]

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References

  1. ↑ "RD Congo: le capitaine Christian Malanga tué dans une tentative de coup d'Etat à Kinshasa". L'Horizon Africain. 2024-05-19. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  2. ↑ "National Independent Electoral Committee 2011 candidate list (includes UCP candidates)". Ceni.gouv.cd. Archived from the original on December 24, 2011. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  3. ↑ Congo Plančte. "Congo Planet news article on 2011 parliamentary candidates". Congoplanete.com. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  4. ↑ "Inyenyeri News article on the UCP". Inyenyerinews.org. 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  5. ↑ "United Congolese Party Makes Crucial Appointment in Foreign Affairs Plank".
  6. ↑ "RD Congo: le capitaine Christian Malanga tué dans une tentative de coup d'Etat à Kinshasa". L'Horizon Africain. 2024-05-19. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
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