Editing Local government (section)

===Bangladesh===
{{Main|Local government in Bangladesh}}
Bangladesh is divided into eight administrative divisions,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dev-bd.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=151976&cid=2 |title=Rangpur becomes a division |publisher=bdnews24.com |date=25 January 2010 |access-date=6 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130407183630/http://dev-bd.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=151976&cid=2 |archive-date=7 April 2013}}</ref> each named after their respective divisional headquarters: [[Barisal Division|Barisal]], [[Chittagong Division|Chittagong]], [[Dhaka Division|Dhaka]], [[Khulna Division|Khulna]], [[Rajshahi Division|Rajshahi]], [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet]], [[Rangpur Division|Rangpur]] and [[Mymensingh Division]].

Divisions are divided into ''zila''. There are 64 zila in Bangladesh, each further divided into ''upazila'' or ''thana''. The area within each police station, except for those in metropolitan areas, is divided into several ''[[Union Councils of Bangladesh|unions]]'', with each union consisting of multiple villages. In the metropolitan areas, police stations are divided into wards, which are further divided into ''mahallas''. There are no directly elected officials at the divisional or district levels, although elected chairs of subdistricts also sit on district councils.<ref name=Banglapedia>{{cite book |last=Siddiqui |first=Kamal |year=2012 |chapter=Local Government |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Local_Government |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> Direct elections are held for each union (or ward), electing a chairperson and a number of members. In 1997, a parliamentary act was passed to reserve three seats (out of 12) in every union for female candidates.<ref>''Local Government Act'', No. 20, 1997.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Strengthen Local Government Towards Deepening Democracy: Annual report 2012–2013 |publisher=Bangladesh Mahila Parishad |url=http://www.mahilaparishad.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/AR.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331160731/http://www.mahilaparishad.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/AR.pdf |archive-date=31 March 2014 |access-date=31 March 2014}}</ref>

Dhaka is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. The cities with a city corporation, having mayoral elections, include Dhaka South, Dhaka North, Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Barisal, Rangpur, Comilla and Gazipur. Other major cities, these and other municipalities electing a mayor and councilors for each ward, include Mymensingh, Gopalganj, Jessore, Bogra, Dinajpur, Saidapur, Narayanganj, Naogaon and Rangamati. Both the municipal heads are elected for a span of five years.