KAMPI was formed during the run up to the 1998 presidential elections as the vehicle for then Senator Arroyo's presidential campaign, after she defected from the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, the party she had been with since she was first elected in 1995. Vicente Sotto III was picked to be her running mate. Before the filing of candidacies, she decided to be the running mate of then Lakas-NUCD-UMDP presidential hopeful Jose de Venecia. As a result, KAMPI coalesced with Lakas-NUCD-UMDP during the 1998 presidential elections.
As of March 24, 2007, KAMPI is said to have 67 members of the House of Representatives, 23 provincial governors, and 650 out of the 1610 mayors all over the country. In the May 14, 2007 election, the party won 47 seats.[1]
On January 31, 2008, Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI) announced that 134 congressman signed a manifesto of "loss of confidence" versus Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. Luis Villafuerte, KAMPI president, said the successor should be Davao City 1st district Rep. Prospero Nograles.[2]
Former President and Lakas-CMD Chairman Emeritus Fidel V. Ramos announced on February 6, 2008, that Lakas-CMD would be the surviving entity after its merger with KAMPI.[3]
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on June 18, 2008, confirmed the historical merger of the Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) parties. Both parties adopted the “equity of the incumbent” principle, as the merger will account for almost 200 national and 8,000 local officials, amid Mrs. Arroyo's prediction of 2010 elections victory. Prospero Nograles, Lakas President and Kampi Chair Ronaldo Puno signed the covenant at the Davao City regional caucus.[4][5]