The Kingdom of Bhutan is divided into 20 districts (Dzongkha:). Bhutan is located between the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and India on the eastern slopes of the Himalayas in South Asia.[1]
are the primary subdivisions of Bhutan. They possess a number of powers and rights under the Constitution of Bhutan, such as regulating commerce, running elections, and creating local governments. The Local Government Act of 2009 established local governments in each of the 20 overseen by the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs.[2] Each has its own elected government with non-legislative executive powers, called a (district council). The is assisted by the administration headed by a (royal appointees who are the chief executive officer of each).[3] Each also has a court presided over by a (judge), who is appointed by the Chief Justice of Bhutan on the advice of Royal Judicial Service Council.[4] The, and their residents, are represented in the Parliament of Bhutan, a bicameral legislature consisting of the National Council and the National Assembly. Each has one National Council representative. National Assembly representatives are distributed among the in proportion to their registered voter population as recommended by the Delimitation Commission, provided that "no shall have less than two and more than seven National Assembly constituencies."[5]
As of the 2017 census, Thimphu is the most populous, with 138,736 residents; Gasa is the least populous, with 3,952 residents. Thimphu is the most densely populated, with 67.1adj=preNaNadj=pre, whereas Gasa is the least densely populated, with 1.3adj=preNaNadj=pre. The largest by land area is Wangdue Phodrang, encompassing, while the smallest is Tsirang, encompassing .
Medieval Bhutan was organized into provinces or regions headquartered in (castles/fortresses) which served as administrative centres for areas around them. The of Paro, Dagana and Trongsa were headed by (provincial lords/governors) while other were headed by (fortress lords).[6] [7] and gained power as the increasingly dysfunctional dual system of government eventually collapsed amid civil war. The victorious Penlop of Trongsa Ugyen Wangchuck gained sovereignty over the entire realm in 1907, marking the establishment of the modern Kingdom of Bhutan and the ascendancy of the House of Wangchuck.[8]
At the direction of the fourth (Bhutan head of state), Jigme Singye Wangchuk,[9] the process of decentralisation of local administration started in 1981[8] with the formation of a (DYT, district development committee) in each of the newly created .[10]
Four (zones) were established in 1988 and 1989: Zone I, including four western districts, seated at Chhukha; Zone II, including four west-central districts, seated at Damphu; Zone III, including four east-central districts, seated at Geylegphug; and Zone IV, including five eastern districts, seated at Yonphula; to "provide a more efficient distribution of personnel and administrative and technical skills." acted as the intermediary administrative divisions between the administration and the central government. Although Thimphu and Thimphu (municipality) were within the boundaries of Zone I, they stayed outside the zonal system. By 1991, however, only Eastern (Zone IV) was fully functional.[11] Zone I, Zone II and Zone III were "indefinitely" disabled in early 1991. Zone IV also ceased to function in mid-1992.[12] slowly lost relevance and went defunct as they were not included in the Constitution of Bhutan[3] and the Local Government Act of 2009, which repealed the previous local governments and administrative divisions.[2]
Under the (District Development Council Act) of 2002, a (administrator), assisted by a (deputy district collector), carry out administrative activities, while the DYT coordinates all developmental activities within the . Each DYT includes representatives of the municipalities and the towns within the, who elect a chairperson from among themselves. The DYTs also had non-voting members, which included the, the ((sub-district) head) (where a exists) and the officials from various sectors such as the chief engineer, and the planning, finance, education, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and health officers.[13]
The Constitution of 2008 laid basic provisions for an elected and courts in each .[3] The Local Government Act of 2009 further codified the election process of, the appointment process of, and the role of courts within the judicial system of Bhutan. It also repealed all previous acts and laws regarding local governments, including the of 2002.
Under the Local Government Act of 2009, the is the non-legislative executive body of the, composed of the (head) and the (elected representatives of the) from each (block of villages), and representatives from the of that . They are empowered to enforce rules on health and public safety, regulate environmental pollution, advertise in regard to environmental aesthetics, regulate broadcast media in accordance with the Information, Communications, and Media Act, regulate gambling, and raise their own funds. They also oversee the . A, in turn, is responsible for maintaining law and order, and for enforcing the (rules for disciplined behavior).[2]
| Name | Population (2017)[14] | Population (2005)[15] | Change | Land area (km) | Population density | Number of National Assembly representatives[16] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bumthang | 2 | |||||
| Chukha | 2 | |||||
| Dagana | 2 | |||||
| Gasa | 2 | |||||
| Haa | 2 | |||||
| Lhuntse | 2 | |||||
| Mongar | 3 | |||||
| Paro | 2 | |||||
| Pemagatshel | 3 | |||||
| Punakha | 2 | |||||
| Samdrup Jongkhar | 2 | |||||
| Samtse | 4 | |||||
| Sarpang | 2 | |||||
| Thimphu | 2 | |||||
| Trashigang | 5 | |||||
| Trashiyangtse | 2 | |||||
| Trongsa | 2 | |||||
| Tsirang | 2 | |||||
| Wangdue Phodrang | 2 | |||||
| Zhemgang | 2 | |||||
| Bhutan | 47 |