[5] Bemba led the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC), a rebel group turned political party, and received the second-highest number of votes in the 2006 presidential election.

[1] His father, Jeannot Bemba Saolona, was a businessman who was successful under Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko.

"[13] Between October 2002 and February 2003, the MLC had carried out an ethnic cleansing of 40% of pygmies in eastern Congo known as the operation Effacer le tableau.

[14] In 2002, President Ange-Félix Patassé of the Central African Republic invited the MLC to come to his country and put down a coup attempt.

His main campaign slogan — "One Hundred Percent Congolese" — was widely perceived as an attack on front-runner President Joseph Kabila.

[16] Bemba received substantial support in the western, Lingala-speaking portion of the country, including the capital, Kinshasa.

[18] However, results announced on 20 August gave Kabila 44% of the vote and Bemba 20%,[17] On 21 August 2006, while accompanied by 14 ambassadors of CIAT members (International Committee in charge of the Transition), including ambassadors from the United States of America, The UK, France (Bernard Prévost) and Belgium (Johan Swinnen), and from MONUC, US diplomat William L. Swing, Bemba survived an assassination attempt by the Presidential Guard bombing his residence in Gombe.

The electoral commission announced the official results on 15 November, naming Kabila the winner with 58.05% of the vote; Bemba's supporters alleged fraud.

[21] On 27 November 2006, the Supreme Court of the DRC rejected the fraud charges brought by Bemba, and confirmed Kabila as the new elected Congolese President.

[22] A day later, Bemba said that he disagreed with the court's decision, but that "in the greater national interest and to preserve peace and to save the country from chaos and violence", he would participate in the system by leading the political opposition.

[33][34] On 11 April, Bemba left the South African embassy and was taken to the airport by U.N. MONUC forces, then flown out of the country to Portugal,[35] along with his wife and children.

[38] In the first half of June, it was reported that, despite the expiration of the 60 days prescribed by the Senate, Bemba would not return to the DRC due to safety concerns.

[46] It was announced on 7 September that Bemba had met with National Assembly President Vital Kamerhe in Portugal to discuss his potential return.

[51] The Supreme Court of the Central African Republic found no basis to pursue cases against Bemba and former CAR President Ange-Félix Patassé.

She said he cannot be held responsible for the actions of his men, and that the lower court "ignored significant testimonial evidence that Bemba's ability to investigate and punish crimes in the CAR was limited".

On 4 May 2017 Bemba had also filed an appeal against his conviction for interfering with witnesses, alleging factual and legal errors on the part of the trial chamber and illegal investigative activity by the ICC Office of the Prosecutor.

[70] He joined other opposition leaders in an agreement to support candidate Martin Fayulu,[71][72] who became the subject of a dispute over the election's results—winning according to journalists analyzing data apparently leaked from the electoral commission and the Catholic Church's observation mission,[73][74] but losing to Félix Tshisekedi according to the election commission's official results.