General elections were held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

 between 18 March and 30 April 1965, following the promulgation of a new constitution approved by a referendum

Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) constitutional referendum, 1964

A constitutional referendum was held in the Republic of the Congo between 25 June and 10 July 1964. The new constitution, known as the "Constitution de Luluabourg", changed the country's system of government, its name, and the number of provinces...

 the previous year. 223 political parties contested the election for 167 seats in the Chamber of Deputies

National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Composition of the National Assembly...

.

The elections were won by parties allied with the Congolese National Convention

Congolese National Convention

The Congolese National Convention , also known as CONACO, was a political alliance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.It consisted of a bloc of forty-nine parties from among the more than 200 parties that were formed primarily for participation in the 1965 general elections...

, led by former seccessionist leader Moise Tshombe

Moise Tshombe

Moïse Kapenda Tshombe was a Congolese politician.- Biography :He was the son of a successful Congolese businessman and was born in Musumba, Congo. He received his education from an American missionary school and later trained as an accountant...

, which won a total of 80 seats. 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.

Despite Tshombe's party winning the election, President Joseph Kasa-Vubu

Joseph Kasa-Vubu

Joseph Kasa-Vubu was the first President of the Republic of the Congo, today called Democratic Republic of the Congo....

 appointed Évariste Kimba

Évariste Kimba

Evariste Kimba served briefly as the Republic of the Congo's Prime Minister from October 18 to November 14, 1965. A protégé of President Joseph Kasavubu, he fell foul of Kasavubu's main enemy Joseph Mobutu , who became the chief Congolese strongman in November 1965...

 of the Congolese Democratic Front

Congolese Democratic Front

The Congolese Democratic Front was a political party in Moyen-Congo. The party was founded by Emmanuel Dadet, after he left the Congolse Progressive Party. The FDC failed to become a major force in Congolese politics. In 1956, Dadet joined UDDIA....

 Prime Minister, a situation which ultimately led to Joseph Mobutu

Mobutu Sese Seko

Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sese Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, was the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997...

 carrying out a military coup in November.

Results

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1

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/-
Congolese National Convention Congolese National Convention The Congolese National Convention , also known as CONACO, was a political alliance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.It consisted of a bloc of forty-nine parties from among the more than 200 parties that were formed primarily for participation in the 1965 general elections...  cartels	544,483	25.1	42	New
Congolese National Convention Congolese National Convention The Congolese National Convention , also known as CONACO, was a political alliance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.It consisted of a bloc of forty-nine parties from among the more than 200 parties that were formed primarily for participation in the 1965 general elections...	227,961	10.5	38	New
CONAKAT CONAKAT CONAKAT was one of the three main political parties in the Belgian Congo and was led by the pro-Western regionalist Moïse Tsjombe and his interior minister Godefroid Munongo.-History:...	178,302	8.2	9
Congolese Democratic Union	162,016	7.5	10	New
ABAKO ABAKO ABAKO or Alliance des Bakongo was a cultural and political organization, headed by Joseph Kasa-Vubu, which emerged in the late 1950s as vocal opponent of Belgian colonial rule in what today is the Democratic Republic of the Congo...	136,226	6.3	10
AWALEBO	104,896	4.8	7	New
Party of National Unity	82,601	3.8	4
PSA-Kamitatu Parti Solidaire Africain The Parti Solidaire Africain was a political party active in the Belgian Congo and the subsequent Republic of the Congo ....	79,358	3.7	4
Mwinda-Bakongo	68,750	3.1	5	New
General Association of the Baluba of Katanga	64,866	3.0	3	New
African Democratic Union-Lubaya	64,845	3.0	4	New
Kwangolese Union for Independence and Liberty	62,856	2.8	4
Katangan Common Front	59,223	2.7	3	New
ASCCO	42,430	2.0	3	New
MEDA MEDA MEDA, or 3-methoxy-4,5-ethylenedioxyamphetamine, is a lesser-known psychedelic drug. MEDA was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin. In his book PiHKAL , the minimum dosage is listed as 200 mg, and the duration unknown. MEDA produces few to no effects...	36,441	1.7	2	New
PANACO	35,275	1.6	3	New
Budjala Union	32,780	1.5	1	New
Mouvement National Congolais-Lumumba Mouvement National Congolais The Mouvement National Congolais is a political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.-History:The party was founded in 1958 as a nationalist, pro-independence group in the Belgian Congo...	31,874	1.5	2
ATCAR	24,710	1.1	2	New
ASSORETSHU	22,011	1.0	2	New
PRC	21,861	1.0	1	New
UNILAC	19,944	0.9	1	New
Congolese Democratic Rally	19,912	0.9	1	New
FROKONGI	19,179	0.9	1	New
Congolese Democratic Party	15,095	0.7	1	New
INTERCOUP-Huapa	11,645	0.5	1	New
BA-LIKOLO	9,634	0.4	1	New
Independents	12,815	0.6	0	0
Regional parties	274,778	12.6	0	0
Invalid/blank votes	293,948
Total	2,466,957	100	167	+30
Source: Nohlen et al