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TheKingdom of Bhutan is divided into 20 districts (Dzongkha:dzongkhags). Bhutan is located between theTibet Autonomous Region ofChina andIndia on the eastern slopes of theHimalayas inSouth Asia.[1]
Dzongkhags are the primarysubdivisions of Bhutan. They possess a number of powers and rights under theConstitution 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 20dzongkhags overseen by theMinistry of Home and Cultural Affairs.[2][3] Eachdzongkhag has its own elected government with non-legislative executive powers, called adzongkhag tshogdu (district council). Thedzongkhag tshogdu is assisted by thedzongkhag administration headed by adzongdag (royal appointees who are the chief executive officer of eachdzongkhag).[4][5] Eachdzongkhag also has adzongkhag court presided over by adzongkhag drangpon (judge), who is appointed by the Chief Justice of Bhutan on the advice of Royal Judicial Service Council.[6][7] Thedzongkhags, and their residents, are represented in theParliament of Bhutan, abicameral legislature consisting of theNational Council and theNational Assembly. Eachdzongkhag has one National Council representative. National Assembly representatives are distributed among thedzongkhags in proportion to their registered voter population as recommended by theDelimitation Commission, provided that "nodzongkhag shall have less than two and more than seven National Assembly constituencies."[8][9]
As of the 2017 census,Thimphu is the most populousdzongkhag, with 138,736 residents;Gasa is the least populous, with 3,952 residents. Thimphu is the most densely populated, with 67.1 people per square kilometre (174/sq mi), whereas Gasa is the least densely populated, with 1.3 people per square kilometre (3.4/sq mi). The largestdzongkhag by land area isWangdue Phodrang, encompassing 4,308 km2 (1,663 sq mi), while the smallest isTsirang, encompassing 639 km2 (247 sq mi).[10]
Medieval Bhutanwas organized into provinces or regions headquartered indzongs (castles/fortresses) which served as administrative centres for areas around them. Thedzongs of Paro, Dagana and Trongsa were headed bypenlops (provincial lords/governors) while otherdzongs were headed bydzongpons (fortress lords).[11][12]Penlops anddzongpons gained power as the increasingly dysfunctionaldual system of government eventually collapsed amid civil war. The victoriousPenlop of TrongsaUgyen Wangchuck gainedde jure sovereignty over the entire realm in 1907, marking the establishment of the modernKingdom of Bhutan and the ascendancy of theHouse of Wangchuck.[13]: 703–770
At the direction of the fourthDruk Gyalpo (Bhutan head of state),Jigme Singye Wangchuk,[14] the process of decentralisation of local administration started in 1981[13]: 831 with the formation of adzongkhag yargye tshogchung (DYT, district development committee) in each of the newly createddzongkhags.[15]
Fourdzongdeys (zones) were established in 1988 and 1989: Zone I, including four western districts, seated atChhukha; Zone II, including four west-central districts, seated atDamphu; Zone III, including four east-central districts, seated atGeylegphug; and Zone IV, including five eastern districts, seated at Yonphula; to "provide a more efficient distribution of personnel and administrative and technical skills."Dzongdeys acted as the intermediary administrative divisions between thedzongkhag administration and the central government. Although Thimphudzongkhag and Thimphuthromde (municipality) were within the boundaries of Zone I, they stayed outside the zonal system. By 1991, however, onlyEasterndzongdey (Zone IV) was fully functional.[16] Zone I, Zone II and Zone III were "indefinitely" disabled in early 1991. Zone IV also ceased to function in mid-1992.[17]Dzongdeys slowly lost relevance and went defunct as they were not included in the Constitution of Bhutan[4][18] and the Local Government Act of 2009, which repealed the previous local governments and administrative divisions.[2][19]
Under theDzongkhag Yargay Tshogdu Chathrim (District Development Council Act) of 2002, adzongdag (administrator), assisted by adzongrab (deputy district collector), carry out administrative activities, while the DYT coordinates all developmental activities within thedzongkhag. Each DYT includes representatives of the municipalities and the towns within thedzongkhag, who elect a chairperson from among themselves. The DYTs also had non-voting members, which included thedzongdag, thedungpa (dungkhag (sub-district) head) (where adungkhag exists) and thedzongkhag officials from various sectors such as the chief engineer, and the planning, finance, education, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and health officers.[20][non-primary source needed]
TheConstitution of 2008 laid basic provisions for an electeddzongkhag tshogdu anddzongkhag courts in eachdzongkhag.[4][non-primary source needed] The Local Government Act of 2009 further codified the election process ofdzongkhag tshogdu, the appointment process ofdzongkdag, and the role ofdzongkhag courts within thejudicial system of Bhutan. It also repealed all previous acts and laws regarding local governments, including theDzongkhag Yargay Tshogdu Chathrim of 2002.[2][non-primary source needed]
Under theLocal Government Act of 2009, thedzongkhag tshogdu is the non-legislative executive body of thedzongkhag, composed of thegup (gewog head) and themangmi (elected representatives of thegewogs) from eachgewog (block of villages), and representatives from thethromdes of thatdzongkhag. 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 thedzongdag. Adzongdag, in turn, is responsible for maintaininglaw and order, and for enforcing thedriglam namzha (rules for disciplined behavior).[2][non-primary source needed]
| Name | Population (2017)[A][10] | Population (2005)[21][10] | Change | Land area (km2)[10] | Population density[10] | Number of National Assembly representatives[B][22] | Number of Gewogs | Dzongdey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bumthang | 17,820 | 16,116 | +10.6% | 2,717 | 6.6/km2 | 2 | 4 | South |
| Chhukha[C] | 68,966 | 74,387 | −7.3% | 1,880 | 36.7/km2 | 2 | 11 | West |
| Dagana | 24,965 | 18,222 | +37.0% | 1,723 | 14.5/km2 | 2 | 14 | Central |
| Gasa | 3,952 | 3,116 | +26.8% | 3,118 | 1.3/km2 | 2 | 4 | Central |
| Haa | 13,655 | 11,648 | +17.2% | 1,905 | 7.2/km2 | 2 | 6 | West |
| Lhuentse[D] | 14,437 | 15,395 | −6.2% | 1,944 | 7.4/km2 | 2 | 8 | East |
| Mongar[E] | 37,150 | 37,069 | +0.2% | 2,859 | 13.0/km2 | 3 | 17 | East |
| Paro | 46,316 | 36,433 | +27.1% | 1,293 | 35.8/km2 | 2 | 10 | West |
| Pemagatshel[F] | 23,632 | 13,864 | +70.5% | 1,030 | 22.9/km2 | 3 | 11 | East |
| Punakha | 28,740 | 17,715 | +62.2% | 1,110 | 25.9/km2 | 2 | 11 | Central |
| Samdrup Jongkhar[G] | 35,079 | 39,961 | −12.2% | 1,878 | 18.7/km2 | 2 | 11 | East |
| Samtse | 62,590 | 60,100 | +4.1% | 1,305 | 48.0/km2 | 4 | 15 | West |
| Sarpang | 46,004 | 41,549 | +10.7% | 1,946 | 23.6/km2 | 2 | 12 | South |
| Thimphu | 138,736 | 98,676 | +40.6% | 2,067 | 67.1/km2 | 2 | 8 | West |
| Trashigang | 45,518 | 51,134 | −11.0% | 3,066 | 14.8/km2 | 5 | 15 | East |
| Trashiyangtse[H] | 17,300 | 17,740 | −2.5% | 1,438 | 12.0/km2 | 2 | 8 | East |
| Trongsa | 19,960 | 13,419 | +48.7% | 1,807 | 11.0/km2 | 2 | 5 | South |
| Tsirang | 22,376 | 18,667 | +19.9% | 639 | 35.0/km2 | 2 | 12 | Central |
| Wangdue Phodrang[I] | 42,186 | 31,135 | +35.5% | 4,308 | 9.8/km2 | 2 | 15 | Central |
| Zhemgang | 17,763 | 18,636 | −4.7% | 2,421 | 7.3/km2 | 2 | 8 | South |
| Bhutan | 727,145 | 634,982 | +14.5% | 38,394 | 18.9/km2 | 47 | 205 |
The Local Government Act of 2009 formally devolved administrative responsibilities to elected bodies at the dzongkhag and gewog levels, under the supervision of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs.
At the dzongkhag level, executive authority is vested in the Dzongdag, appointed by the King, who functions as the chief executive officer of the district and chairs the Dzongkhag Administration.
Judicial authority at the dzongkhag level is exercised by Dzongkhag Courts, each headed by a Drangpon (district judge) appointed by the Chief Justice of Bhutan in consultation with the Royal Judicial Service Council.
The delimitation of National Assembly constituencies is undertaken by the Delimitation Commission, which must ensure proportionality with the voter population of each dzongkhag, subject to the constitutional requirement that no dzongkhag has fewer than two or more than seven constituencies.
The zonal system (dzongdeys), established in 1987, ceased to function by the early 1990s. The Constitution of 2008 and the Local Government Act of 2009 do not recognize dzongdeys, thereby eliminating them as administrative units.
Dzongdeys, or zones, established as an intermediate administrative structure, were later abolished and are not provided for under the Constitution or the Local Government Act of 2009.