Regional Council (Cameroon)
Encyclopedia
Regional Councils are, nominally, the governing bodies of the regions of Cameroon. 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 an administrator appointed by the president of Cameroon. This individual acts at the president's personal representative and wields considerable power. The president of Cameroon reserves the right to disband any regional council he so chooses.
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 decentralisation
. However, the councils have yet to be established in reality, and the regions established by the constitution are still known as province
s and are headed by presidentially appointed governors.
Constitution of Cameroon
The Constitution of Cameroon is the supreme law of the Republic of Cameroon. The document consists of a preamble and 13 Parts, each divided into Articles...
, 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 an administrator appointed by the president of Cameroon. This individual acts at the president's personal representative and wields considerable power. The president of Cameroon reserves the right to disband any regional council he so chooses.
The regional councils were created by Cameroon's constitution of 1996 in response to agitation for a return to a federal system of government
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
or increased decentralisation
Décentralisation
Décentralisation is a french word for both a policy concept in French politics from 1968-1990, and a term employed to describe the results of observations of the evolution of spatial economic and institutional organization of France....
. However, the councils have yet to be established in reality, and the regions established by the constitution are still known as province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
s and are headed by presidentially appointed governors.