1977 Zairean parliamentary election

none Parliamentary elections were held in Zaire on 15 and 16 October 1977, having originally been scheduled for 1980. The Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR) was the sole legal party at the time, with all candidates standing for election to the Legislative Council belonging to it.Zaire Inter-Parliamentary Union In total, 2,074 candidates ran for the 289 seats.DRC: Elections under the Second Republic (continued) EISA Voter turnout was 92.8%.Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p292 0-19-829645-2 The new electoral system allowed some MPR members sceptical of the government to be elected, who went on to draw attention to corruption by questioning ministers. However, after thirteen of them sent an open letter to President Mobutu Sese Seko calling for a conference on democracy, they were stripped of their parliamentary immunity and sent to prison. After being released from jail, they established the Union for Democracy and Social Progress. As a result of their actions, the powers of the Legislative Council were reduced, and ministers could no longer be questioned by it. MPR members were also more thoroughly scrutinised before the next election in 1982. Results File:Zaire NA 1977.svg Popular Movement of the Revolution 10180685 289 +45 +45 188574 11177484 Nohlen et al. References Category:Parliamentary elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Category:1977 in Zaire Category:One-party elections Zaire