Regional councils are, nominally, the governing bodies of the
regions of Cameroon
The Republic of Cameroon is divided into ten regions.
History
Between 1961 and 1972, Cameroon was a federal republic made up of two federated states, East Cameroon and West Cameroon.
A unitary system came into being in 1972. The countr ...
. As defined by the
Constitution of Cameroon, the councils have control of cultural, economic, educational, health-related, social, and sport-related issues in the regions. The members of each council are delegates indirectly elected by the populace and traditional rulers selected by their peers. Each council is headed by a president, who is elected by the members from among their own ranks. Members serve five-year terms.
Each council is advised by members of parliament from the area and by a governor appointed by the
president of Cameroon. This individual acts at the president's personal representative and wields considerable power.
[DeLancey and DeLancey 229.] The president of Cameroon reserves the right to disband any regional council he so chooses.
[Part X: Article 59.]
The regional councils were created by Cameroon's constitution of 1996 in response to agitation for a return to a
federal system of government or increased
decentralization
Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those related to planning and decision-making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group and gi ...
. However, the councils have yet to be established in reality, and the regions established by the constitution are still known as ''
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
s'' and are headed by presidentially appointed governors.
References
Citations
* ''Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon''
English an
versions). 18 January 1996. Accessed 4 January 2007.
* DeLancey, Mark W., and Mark Dike DeLancey (2000): ''Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon'' (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press.
Government of Cameroon
Regions of Cameroon
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