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.
[1] The members of each council are delegates indirectly elected by the populace and traditional rulers selected by their peers.
[2] Each council is advised by members of parliament from the area and by a governor appointed by the president of Cameroon.
[3] This individual acts at the president's personal representative and wields considerable power.
[5] 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.