Who runs local government in Bangladesh?
Bangladesh has elected rural councils at three levels (district, sub-district and union) and elected urban councils (city corporations and municipalities), all set up by Acts of Parliament under the Constitution. In August 2024, after the fall of the previous government, the interim government used new ordinances to remove about 1,870 elected mayors and chairs of city corporations, municipalities, district and sub-district councils and to appoint administrators, mostly civil servants. Union councils (union parishads) were not part of that mass removal. As of late 2026, nationwide local elections were being prepared but had not been confirmed.
People's Republic of Bangladesh · Unitary parliamentary republic · Southern Asia
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Divisions (8) | Divisional commissioner, a civil servant appointed by the national government | Coordinates districts; no elected body. |
| Districts (64): zila parishads | Normally an elected chair and members (chosen indirectly by local councillors); since August 2024 most run by appointed administrators. Deputy commissioner (civil servant) heads district administration. | District-level development; the deputy commissioner runs government administration. |
| Sub-districts (about 495): upazila parishads | Chair and two vice-chairs (one a woman) normally directly elected for five years; removed in August 2024 and replaced by administrators. Upazila nirbahi officer (civil servant) is the chief executive. | Agriculture, primary education, health and local development coordination. |
| Union parishads (about 4,580, rural) and urban bodies: 12–13 city corporations and about 330 municipalities (pourashavas) | Union parishad chair and 12 members (9 ward members plus 3 reserved seats for women) directly elected for five years; urban mayors and councillors directly elected, but replaced by administrators in 2024 | Village roads, birth and death registration, safety-net lists, village courts; cities run streets, waste, markets. |
Three questions about local power in Bangladesh
Are local leaders elected?
Normally union, upazila and urban council heads and members are elected by voters; zila parishad members are elected by local councillors. Since August 2024, administrators appointed by the government run most councils above union level. Divisional and deputy commissioners are always appointed civil servants.
Which laws set up local government?
Local government is in the Constitution (Articles 59–60) and in Acts such as the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act 2009. Shalish and most religious authority are informal; Hill Tracts chiefs and headmen are formal.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Voters at elections; the Local Government Division of the national ministry, which can remove councillors (with powers widened in 2024); deputy commissioners and upazila officers who supervise councils; the courts.
Traditional and customary authority
In the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban), a separate system recognised in law gives roles to three hereditary circle chiefs (rajas), to mouza headmen (who collect land revenue and handle land matters) and to village heads called karbari, alongside the elected Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council and three hill district councils. Elsewhere, the *shalish* (informal village mediation by local elders, religious leaders and councillors) settles many family and land disputes; it has no legal power to punish, and the state promotes the formal village courts run by union parishads instead. Religious leaders (imams, madrasa teachers) have social influence but no formal local role.
Community and neighbourhood power
Each union has ward assemblies (ward shava) of local voters that are meant to meet twice a year to discuss plans and choose beneficiaries. Non-governmental organisations, microfinance groups and community-based organisations are very active in villages and often deliver services alongside councils. Mosque and market committees are common informal local bodies.
Points to know
- The 2024 ordinances let the government remove elected local representatives 'in the public interest' without the earlier need for charges or an inquiry; the city corporation ordinance was later replaced by a 2026 Act of Parliament.
- Women have reserved seats at every level: three per union parishad and one-third of councillor seats in cities and towns.
- Bangladesh had held party-symbol local elections since 2015; this was itself a debated change.
- Village courts, chaired by the union parishad chair with two nominees from each side, hear small civil and criminal cases.
Local terms
- Union parishad
- The lowest elected rural council, covering several villages.
- Upazila
- A sub-district with its own council.
- Pourashava
- A municipality (urban council) smaller than a city corporation.
- Shalish
- Informal village mediation by elders and local notables.
Sources
- Bangladesh's Constitution of 1972, reinstated 1986, rev. 2014 (Arts. 59–60), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
- Local Government (Union Parishad) Act 2009, Laws of Bangladesh, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, checked 14 October 2026
- Local Government (City Corporation) (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 (Ordinance No. 4 of 2024), with note of repeal by Act No. 61 of 2026, Laws of Bangladesh, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, checked 14 October 2026
- Local Government Division, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, Bangladesh, checked 14 October 2026
- Country profile: Bangladesh (subnational government), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
- The local government system in Bangladesh: country profile, Commonwealth Local Government Forum, checked 14 October 2026
See also: Bangladesh's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.