 After his release, Lumumba helped found the "Mouvement National Congolais" (MNC) party on 5 October 1958, and quickly became the organization's leader.The MNC, unlike other Congolese parties developing at the time, did not draw on a particular ethnic base.It promoted a platform that included independence, gradual Africanisation of the government, state-led economic development, and neutrality in foreign affairs.