[2] The party was established on 28 March 1978 in Paris by former Prime Minister Ange-Félix Patassé as a Central African opposition movement.

In the parliamentary elections, the MLPC won 34 of the 85 seats in the National Assembly, becoming the largest party.

However, the Union of Forces for Peace (UFAP) alliance, which opposed Patassé, obtained a parliamentary majority, with its members winning a combined 55 seats.

Patassé, who was in exile at the time, had initially been the MLPC candidate, but was barred from contesting the election due to charges against him regarding alleged wrongdoing while in office.

[5][6] This was on a provisional basis for one year,[7] until Ziguélé was elected to a three-year term as President at the MLPC's third ordinary congress, held from 21–23 June 2007.