The official ideology of the MPR, as laid down in the Manifesto of N'sele in May 1967, incorporated "nationalism", "revolution", and "authenticity". Revolution was described as a "truly national revolution, essentially pragmatic," which called for "the repudiation of both capitalism and communism."Crawford Young and Thomas Turner, The Rise and Decline of the Zairian State, p. 210 One of the MPR's slogans was "Neither left nor right," to which would be added "nor even centre" in later years. Nevertheless, historians consider Mobutu's regime to be Right-WingSchmitz, David F.The United States and Right-wing Dictatorships, 1965-1989.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. and there is evidence of economic liberalization during Mobutu's rule as he appointed Léon Kengo wa Dondo, a prominent advocate of free market reform, as prime minister. Some historians, such as Michel Ugarte and Max Liniger-Goumaz, argue that Mobutu's Zaire was part of a phenomenon called "tropical fascism" due to its authoritarianism, anti-communism, and Third-Positionist rhetoric.
