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Congo (Kinshasa): Polity Style: 1885-2025
23/26 Feb 1885 - 29 May 1885 Association Internationale du Congo
29 May 1885 - 15 Nov 1908 État Indépendant du Congo
15 Nov 1908 the sovereignty of Congo is ceded to Belgium in accordance with a treaty of cession signed by the representatives of Congo and Belgium (dated Brussels, 28 Nov 1907; effective 15 Nov 1908) (Congo Official Bulletin, No. 10 bis, October 1908, pp. 391-394)
15 Nov 1908 - 30 Jun 1960 a colony of Belgium
30 Jun 1960 becomes an independent state when Art. 6 of the Constitution of 1960 took effect in accordance with a royal decree of 1 Jun 1960 (Belgium Official Gazette, No. 288, 1 Dec 1960, pp. 9248-9249;Belgium Official Gazette, No. 296, 10 Dec 1960, p. 9412; Belgium Official Gazette, 2-3 Jan 1961, p. 7) [1]
30 Jun 1960 constituted as Congo in accordance with the Constitution of 1960 promulgated by the King of the Belgians on 19 May 1960 (Moniteur Congolais, No. 21 bis, 27 May 1960, pp. 1-25) [2]
30 Jun 1960 - 1 Aug 1964 République du Congo [3]
1 Aug 1964 name of the state is changed in accordance with the Constitution of 1964 (Moniteur Congolais, 1 Aug1964, Extra, pp. 1-33)
1 Aug 1964 - 29 Oct 1971 République Démocratique du Congo [4]
29 Oct 1971 name of the state is changed upon the promulgation of amendments to the Constitution in accordance with the Law No. 71-006 (Moniteur Congolais, No. 21, 1 Nov 1971, p. 967) [5]
29 Oct 1971 - 17 May 1997 République du Zaïre
17 May 1997 name of the state is changed in accordance with Art. 2 of the Declaration of taking power by the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo) passed 17 May 1997 at Lubumbashi (Journal Officiel de la République Démocratique du Congo, 1997, May, Extra, pp. 1-7)
17 May 1997 - République Démocratique du Congo

[1] A provision for creation of the state of Congo was included in Art. 6 of the Constitution. The royal decree of 1 Jun 1960 divided the articles of the Constitution into three groups in terms of coming into effect (1 Jun 1960, 10 Jun 1960, 30 Jun 1960). Effective date for Art. 6 was determined as 30 Jun 1960.
[2] Full title: Loi fondamentale du 19 mai 1960 relative aux structures du Congo.
[3] The Constitution of 1960 referred to the polity exclusively as État du Congo.
[4] 7 Sep 1964 - ? Aug 1965 République Populaire du Congo (in dissidence)
[5] A decision to change the name of the state was passed at a joint meeting of the Political Bureau of the Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution and the government on 27 Oct 1971. Assemblée nationale passed a resolution approving the change on 28 Oct 1971 which was signed into law on 29 Sep 1971 (backdated to 27 Sep 1971).
Last update: 08 May 2025
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