The Democratic Republic of Congo has had a multi-party system since independence. Following institutional and security crises, Mobutu orchestrated a coup d'etat to establish a one-party system with the Mouvement Populaire de le Revolution. From blocked democratic momentum to dictatorship, citizens were excluded from public debate with the aim of restoring national unity and state authority. In 1990, political pluralism resurfaced, and today there are 910 political parties based on less objective convictions and localist representations. Their partisan configuration prevents institutions from functioning properly and meeting the needs of the people.