Editing Local government (section)

==Asia==

===Afghanistan===
Afghanistan was traditionally divided into provinces governed by centrally appointed governors with considerable autonomy in local affairs. There are currently 34 provinces. During the Soviet occupation and the development of country-wide resistance, local areas came increasingly under the control of [[mujaheddin]] groups that were largely independent of any higher authority; local commanders, in some instances, asserted a measure of independence also from the mujaheddin leadership in Pakistan, establishing their own systems of local government, collecting revenues, running educational and other facilities, and even engaging in local negotiations. Mujaheddin groups retained links with the Peshawar parties to ensure access to weapons that were doled out to the parties by the government of Pakistan for distribution to fighters inside Afghanistan.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

The Taliban set up a shura (assembly), made up of senior Taliban members and important tribal from the area. Each shura made laws and collected taxes locally. The Taliban set up a provisional government for the whole of Afghanistan, but it did not exercise central control over the local shuras.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

The process of setting up the transitional government in June 2002 by the Loya Jirga took many steps involving local government. First, at the district and municipal level, traditional shura councils met to pick electors—persons who cast ballots for Loya Jirga delegates. Each district or municipality had to choose a predetermined number of electors, based on the size of its population. The electors then traveled to regional centers and cast ballots, to choose from amongst themselves a smaller number of loya jirga delegates— according to allotted numbers assigned to each district. The delegates then took part in the Loya Jirga.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

The warlords who rule various regions of the country exert local control. The transitional government is attempting to integrate local governing authorities with the central government, but it lacks the loyalty from the warlords necessary to its governing authority. More traditional elements of political authority—such as Sufi networks, royal lineage, clan strength, age-based wisdom, and the like—still exist and play a role in Afghan society. Karzai is relying on these traditional sources of authority in his challenge to the warlords and older Islamist leaders. The deep ethnic, linguistic, sectarian, tribal, racial, and regional cleavages present in the country create what is called "Qawm" identity, emphasizing the local over higher-order formations. Qawm refers to the group to which the individual considers himself to belong, whether a subtribe, village, valley, or neighborhood. Local governing authority relies upon these forms of identity and loyalty.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

===Armenia===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of Armenia|Municipalities of Armenia}}
Armenia is subdivided into eleven [[country subdivision|administrative divisions]]. Of these, ten are provinces, known as ''marzer'' ({{lang|hy|մարզեր}}) or in the singular form ''[[marz (country subdivision)|marz]]'' ({{lang|hy|մարզ}}) in [[Armenian language|Armenian]].

===Azerbaijan===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan}}

Azerbaijan is administratively divided into the following subdivisions: 67 districts (''rayonlar''), 11 cities (''şəhərlər''). The [[Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic]] is a territorial [[Enclave and exclave|exlcave]], which itself contains: 7 districts and a city. The rayons are further divided into municipalities. (''Bələdiyyə'').

===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.

===Brunei===
The [[administrative divisions of Brunei]] mainly consist of ''daerah'', ''mukim'' and ''kampung'' or ''kampong''. They are organised hierarchically, with ''daerah'' being the first level and ''kampong'' the third level. All the administrative divisions are under direct governance of the government through the Ministry of Home Affairs. There are four districts in Brunei: [[Brunei-Muara District|Brunei-Muara]], [[Belait District|Belait]], [[Tutong District|Tutong]] and [[Temburong District|Temburong]]. The administrative level of mukim lies below the district. At present, there are 38 mukims, with 17 in Brunei-Muara, 8 in Tutong, 8 in Belait and 5 in Temburong District. A mukim is headed by a penghulu. A village (Malay: kampung or kampong) is the lowest administrative level in Brunei and headed by a ketua kampong or village head. Its population varies from a few hundreds to tens of thousands.

===Cambodia===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of Cambodia}}

===China===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China}}

===Georgia===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of Georgia (country)|Municipalities of Georgia (country)}}
The subdivisions of Georgia are [[autonomous republic]]s ({{lang-ka|ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა}}, ''avtonomiuri respublika''), regions (მხარე, ''[[mkhare]]''), and [[Municipalities of Georgia (country)|municipalities]] (მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''munits'ipaliteti'').

===India===
{{Main article|Local self-government in India}}Local government is the third tier of government in [[India]], after [[Government of India|Union Government]] and [[State governments of India|State Government]]. The urban local bodies (municipalities) are for urban governance and panchayati raj institutions (panchayats) for rural governance.

The Urban Local Bodies (ULBs):<ref>{{Cite web |title=Profile - Local Government - Know India: National Portal of India |url=https://knowindia.india.gov.in/profile/local-government.php |access-date=2023-12-20 |website=knowindia.india.gov.in}}</ref> are [[Municipal corporation (India)|Municipal Corporation]], [[Municipal council (India)|Municipal Council]] (municipality) and [[Nagar panchayat|Town panchayat]] (notified area council).

The Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), knowns as "''Panchayats''" are a three-tier system of local self-government in rural areas in India: [[District council (India)|District Panchayat]] ([[List of districts in India|district]] level), [[Panchayat samiti|Block Panchayat]] ([[Community development block|block]] level) and [[Gram panchayat|Village Panchayat]] ([[Revenue Village|village]] level).

===Indonesia===
{{Main article|Subdivisions of Indonesia}}

===Iran===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of Iran}}

===Iraq===
{{Main article|Governorates of Iraq|Districts of Iraq}}

===Israel===
{{Main article|Local government in Israel}}

The [[Ministry of Interior (Israel)|Israeli Ministry of Interior]] recognizes four types of local government in Israel: {{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}
*[[List of cities in Israel|Cities]]: 71 single-level urban municipalities, usually with populations exceeding 20,000 residents.
*[[Local council (Israel)|Local councils]]: 141 single-level urban or rural municipalities, usually with populations between 2,000 and 20,000.
*[[Regional council (Israel)|Regional Councils]]: 54 bi-level municipalities which govern multiple rural communities located in relative geographic vicinity. The number of residents in the individual communities usually does not exceed 2000. There are no clear limits to the population and land area size of Israeli regional councils.
*[[Local industrial council (Israel)|Industrial councils]]: Two single-level municipalities which govern large and complex industrial areas outside cities. The local industrial councils are Tefen in [[Upper Galilee]] (north of [[Karmiel]]) and [[Ramat Hovav]] in the [[Negev]] (south of [[Beer Sheva]]).

===Japan===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of Japan}}

Since the [[Meiji restoration]], [[Japan]] has had a local government system based on [[prefecture]]s. The national government oversees much of the country. Municipal governments were historical villages. Now mergers are common for cost effective administration. There are 47 [[Prefectures of Japan|prefecture]]s. They have two main responsibilities. One is mediation between national and municipal governments. The other is area wide administration.

===Kazakhstan===
{{Main article|Regions of Kazakhstan|Districts of Kazakhstan}}

===Korea===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of North Korea|Administrative divisions of South Korea}}

===Malaysia===
{{Main article|Local government in Malaysia}}

Local government is the lowest level in the system of government in [[Malaysia]]—after federal and state. Councillors are not elected in local-level elections which have been abolished in 1976, but rather appointed by [[State governments of Malaysia|state governments]].<ref>{{cite book |location= Kuala Lumpur |publisher= National Institute of Public Administration Malaysia|author1=Nik Hashim Ibrahim |author2=Mohd. Yahya Nordin |title=Local Government System in Malaysia: A General Perspective |pages=146–68 |url=https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000336349.pdf}}</ref> It has the power to collect taxes (in the form of assessment tax), to create laws and rules (in the form of by-laws) and grants licenses and permits for any trade in its area of jurisdiction, in addition to providing basic amenities, collecting and managing waste and garbage as well as planning and developing the area under its jurisdiction.

===Myanmar===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of Myanmar}}

===Nepal===
{{Main article|Local governance in Nepal}}
[[Gaunpalika]] (Rural Council) and [[List of cities in Nepal|Nagarpalika]] (Municipal council) are the local level divisions in [[Nepal]]. Which is ruled by third level of government after Federal and Provincial government. In Nepal there are total 753 local levels government (including 6 [[List of cities in Nepal|Metropolises]], 11 [[List of cities in Nepal|Sub-metropolises]], 276 [[Municipalities]] and 460 [[Gaunpalika]]s). And there are total 6,743 wards are formed under these 753 local levels. These local government are ruled by local leaders and the Mayor is the supreme of each local government which is elected every 5 (Five) year by local public.

===Pakistan===
{{Main article|Local government in Pakistan}}

Local government is the third tier of government in [[Pakistan]], after [[Government of Pakistan|Federal Government]] and Provincial Government. There are three types of administrative unit of local government in Pakistan are [[Local government in Pakistan|District Government Administrations]], Town Municipal Administrations and [[Union councils of Pakistan|Union Council Administrations]]

There are over five thousand local governments in Pakistan. Since 2001, these have been led by democratically elected local councils, each headed by a Nazim (the word means "supervisor" in Urdu, but is sometimes translated as Mayor). Some districts, incorporating large metropolitan areas, are called City Districts. A City District may contain subdivisions called Towns and Union Councils. Council elections are held every four years. District Governments also include a District Coordination Officer (DCO), who is a civil servant in-charge of all devolved departments. Currently, the Powers of Nazim are also held by the DCO.

===Palestinian Authority===
Local government in the [[Palestinian National Authority]]-controlled areas are divided into three main groups: Municipal councils, village council and local development committees.
* [[Municipality (Palestinian Authority)]]: Depends on size of locality. Localities that serve as the centers of [[Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority|governorate]]s and populations over 15,000 have 15-member councils. Localities with populations over 15,000 residents have 13-member councils and localities with populations between 4,000 and 15,000 have 9-member councils.
* [[Village Council (Palestinian Authority)]]: Localities with populations between 800 and 1,500 have 3-member councils while those between 1,500 and −4,000 residents have 7-member councils.

===Philippines===
{{Main article|Local government in the Philippines}}
{{See also|Philippines#Regions and Provinces}}

The [[Local Government Code]] of 1991 provides for the three levels of Local Government Units or LGUs in the [[Philippines]]: (1) the [[Philippine province|province]] (2) [[Philippine city|city]] and [[Philippine municipality|municipality]], and (3) the [[barangay]].<ref name=ra7160>{{cite PH act|url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1991/10/10/republic-act-no-7160|title=Local Government Code of 1991|chamber=RA|number=7160|publisher=[[Official Gazette (Philippines)|The Official Gazette]]|date=1991-10-10|author=[[Congress of the Philippines]]|accessdate=2023-12-18}}</ref> The country remains a unitary state and the National Government continues to have strong influence over local government units.

A province is led by a governor along with the ''[[Sangguniang Panlalawigan]]'' (Provincial Council) composed of board members. A mayor leads a city or municipality while the ''[[Sangguniang Panlungsod]]'' (City Council) and the ''[[Sangguniang Bayan]]'' (Municipal Council) constitute the legislative branches of a city and municipality, respectively. A barangay is headed by the [[Barangay Captain]] and the [[Barangay Council]].  Barangays can be further divided into [[purok]]s and [[sitio]]s but their leadership is unelected.

The 1987 Philippine Constitution also provides for the existence of autonomous regions. The [[Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao]] (BARMM) is the only autonomous region in the Philippines.  There was an attempt to institute an autonomous region in the [[Cordillera]], but that failed and instead the [[Cordillera Administrative Region]] (CAR) was established.

Local governments have limited taxing authority. Most of their funds come from the national government via the [[Internal Revenue Allotment]]

===Saudi Arabia===
There are three levels of local government in the Kingdom of [[Saudi Arabia]]: the city council, the municipal council and the municipality.

The city council is the highest level of local government. The municipal councils began in 2005 and is the second level of local government. The municipality is the third level of local government. There are 178 municipalities across the kingdom. The first began in Jeddah during the Othmanic period. Each municipality is run by its city's mayor. Collectively, the kingdom's municipalities make up the Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs (MoMRA).

===Sri Lanka===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of Sri Lanka}}

===Syria===
{{Main article|Governorates of Syria|Districts of Syria}}

===Taiwan===
[[File:Taipei City Hall front view 20050110.jpg|thumb|[[Taipei City Government]]]]

The [[Government of the Republic of China|Republic of China government]] in [[Taiwan]] consists of [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipality]] governments, [[Provincial city (Taiwan)|provincial city]] governments and [[County (Taiwan)|county]] governments for their local governments. They also have councils in each of those three local government levels.

===Tajikistan===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of Tajikistan}}

===Thailand===
{{Main article|Administrative divisions of Thailand}}

===Turkey===
{{Main|Local government in Turkey}}

[[Turkey]] has two levels of local government; provinces (Turkish: iller) and districts (Turkish: ilçeler).

The territory of Turkey is subdivided into 81 provinces for administrative purposes. The provinces are organized into 7 regions for census purposes; however, they do not represent an administrative structure. Each province is divided into districts, for a total of 957 districts.

===United Arab Emirates===
{{Main|United_Arab_Emirates#Political_divisions}}

===Uzbekistan===
{{Main|Subdivisions of Uzbekistan}}

===Vietnam===
[[Vietnam]] has 3 levels of local government:
*First tier: municipalities (thành phố) and provinces (tỉnh)
*Second tier: provincial cities (thành phố), district-level towns (thị xã) and rural districts (huyện)
*Third tier: wards (phường), towns (thị trấn) and communes (xã)

Each level has a People's Committee (executive – up to third tier), a People's Council (legislative – up to third tier) and a People's Court (judiciary – up to second tier).

===Yemen===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Yemen}}