They were the first parliamentary elections held since Joseph Mobutu seized power in a coup five years earlier.
Voters were presented with a single list from President Mobutu's party, the Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR).
They only had the choice of voting "yes" or "no" to the list of 420 candidates for the National Assembly, who had been chosen from 2,500 applicants at the MPR's congress on 19 September 1970.
Presidential elections had been held earlier in the month under similar conditions, with voters only having the option of voting "yes" or "no" to Mobutu's candidacy.
[3] with Law 70-001 of 23 December 1970 amending the text of article 4 of the constitution to state that "The Popular Movement of the Revolution is the sole political party of the Republic" (Le Mouvement populaire de la révolution est le seul parti politique de la République.).