The president governs Guinea, assisted by his appointed council of 25 civilian ministers. Government administration is carried out at five levels: In descending order, they are: Eight regions, 33 prefectures, over 100 subprefectures, and many districts (known as communes in Conakry and other large cities and villages or "quartiers" in the interior). District-level leaders are elected; the president appoints officials to all other levels of the highly centralized administration.