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The Kingdom of Bhutan is divided into 20 districts (Dzongkha: Template:Transliteration). Bhutan is located between the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and India on the eastern slopes of the Himalayas in South Asia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Transliteration 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 Template:Transliteration overseen by the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs.<ref name=LGA09>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Psc Each Template:Transliteration has its own elected government with non-legislative executive powers, called a Template:Transliteration (district council). The Template:Transliteration is assisted by the Template:Transliteration administration headed by a Template:Transliteration (royal appointees who are the chief executive officer of each Template:Transliteration).<ref name="CoB">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Psc Each Template:Transliteration also has a [[Dzongkhag Court|Template:Transliteration court]] presided over by a Template:Transliteration (judge), who is appointed by the Chief Justice of Bhutan on the advice of Royal Judicial Service Council.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Psc The Template:Transliteration, and their residents, are represented in the Parliament of Bhutan, a bicameral legislature consisting of the National Council and the National Assembly. Each Template:Transliteration has one National Council representative. National Assembly representatives are distributed among the Template:Transliteration in proportion to their registered voter population as recommended by the Delimitation Commission, provided that "no Template:Transliteration shall have less than two and more than seven National Assembly constituencies."<ref name="EAoB">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Psc
As of the 2017 census, Thimphu is the most populous Template:Transliteration, with 138,736 residents; Gasa is the least populous, with 3,952 residents. Thimphu is the most densely populated, with Template:Convert, whereas Gasa is the least densely populated, with Template:Convert. The largest Template:Transliteration by land area is Wangdue Phodrang, encompassing Template:Cvt, while the smallest is Tsirang, encompassing Template:Cvt.<ref name="phcb"/>
HistoryEdit
Medieval Bhutan was organized into provinces or regions headquartered in Template:Transliteration (castles/fortresses) which served as administrative centres for areas around them. The Template:Transliteration of Paro, Dagana and Trongsa were headed by Template:Transliteration (provincial lords/governors) while other Template:Transliteration were headed by Template:Transliteration (fortress lords).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration gained power as the increasingly dysfunctional dual system of government eventually collapsed amid civil war. The victorious Penlop of Trongsa Ugyen Wangchuck gained Template:Transliteration sovereignty over the entire realm in 1907, marking the establishment of the modern Kingdom of Bhutan and the ascendancy of the House of Wangchuck.<ref name=history>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp
At the direction of the fourth Template:Transliteration (Bhutan head of state), Jigme Singye Wangchuk,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> the process of decentralisation of local administration started in 1981<ref name=history/>Template:Rp with the formation of a Template:Transliteration (DYT, district development committee) in each of the newly created Template:Transliteration.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Four Template:Transliteration (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." Template:Transliteration acted as the intermediary administrative divisions between the Template:Transliteration administration and the central government. Although Thimphu Template:Transliteration and Thimphu Template:Transliteration (municipality) were within the boundaries of Zone I, they stayed outside the zonal system. By 1991, however, only [[Eastern Dzongdey|Eastern Template:Transliteration]] (Zone IV) was fully functional.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Zone I, Zone II and Zone III were "indefinitely" disabled in early 1991. Zone IV also ceased to function in mid-1992.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:Transliteration slowly lost relevance and went defunct as they were not included in the Constitution of Bhutan<ref name=CoB/>Template:Psc and the Local Government Act of 2009, which repealed the previous local governments and administrative divisions.<ref name=LGA09/>Template:Psc
Under the Template:Transliteration (District Development Council Act) of 2002, a Template:Transliteration (administrator), assisted by a Template:Transliteration (deputy district collector), carry out administrative activities, while the DYT coordinates all developmental activities within the Template:Transliteration. Each DYT includes representatives of the municipalities and the towns within the Template:Transliteration, who elect a chairperson from among themselves. The DYTs also had non-voting members, which included the Template:Transliteration, the Template:Transliteration (Template:Transliteration (sub-district) head) (where a Template:Transliteration exists) and the Template:Transliteration officials from various sectors such as the chief engineer, and the planning, finance, education, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and health officers.<ref name="DYT02">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Psc
The Constitution of 2008 laid basic provisions for an elected Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration courts in each Template:Transliteration.<ref name="CoB"/>Template:Psc The Local Government Act of 2009 further codified the election process of Template:Transliteration, the appointment process of Template:Transliteration, and the role of Template:Transliteration courts within the judicial system of Bhutan. It also repealed all previous acts and laws regarding local governments, including the Template:Transliteration of 2002.<ref name="LGA09" />Template:Psc
Political structureEdit
Under the Local Government Act of 2009, the Template:Transliteration is the non-legislative executive body of the Template:Transliteration, composed of the Template:Transliteration (Template:Transliteration head) and the Template:Transliteration (elected representatives of the Template:Transliteration) from each Template:Transliteration (block of villages), and representatives from the Template:Transliteration of that Template:Transliteration. 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 Template:Transliteration. A Template:Transliteration, in turn, is responsible for maintaining law and order, and for enforcing the Template:Transliteration (rules for disciplined behavior).<ref name=LGA09/>Template:Psc
Template:TransliterationEdit
See alsoEdit
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External linksEdit
Template:Bhutan topics {{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}} Template:Articles on first-level administrative divisions of Asian countries