The civilian governing council of the Cardassian Union, which took power from the military in 2372.
The Detapa Council is the civilian body of the Cardassian government. For decades it was subordinate in practice to the military Central Command, but after the Obsidian Order's disastrous attack on the Dominion in 2371, dissidents gained support and the council took control of Cardassia in 2372.
In The Way of the Warrior, the Klingons suspect that the Founders engineered the change and invade Cardassia, and the crew of Deep Space Nine rescues the council's members from a Klingon attack. Civilian rule ends when Cardassia joins the Dominion in 2373.