Indonesia - Local government

The structure and organization of local governments follow the pattern of national government. Indonesia is divided into 27 provinces. There are three special territories, namely the capital city of Jakarta, the special territory of Yogyakarta, and the special territory of Aceh. Each province is administered by a governor chosen by the central government from candidates proposed by the provincial assembly. Governors must be approved by the president. Provinces are divided into 357 districts ( kabupatens ), administered by Bupati appointed in the same manner as governors. Both provincial and district governments are granted autonomy. As of 1993 there were also 56 municipalities ( kotamadyas ) headed by a mayor ( walikota ), 3,625 subdistricts ( kecamatan ) headed by a camat , and 67,033 villages. Desa are rural villages and kelurahans are urban villages. The head of a desa is elected by the villages community. The head of a kelurahan, a lurah , is a civil servant appointed by a camat on behalf of the governor. A unique feature of village life is the village council of elders, composed of 9 to 15 prominent village leaders. With the implementation of decentralization on 1 January 2001, the 357 districts have become the key administrative units responsible for providing most government services.