Due to its designation as a Special Autonomous Province, the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

n province of

Aceh Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...

has a local government system that is distinct from other provinces, which can trace its origin to the

Aceh Sultanate The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam (; Jawoë: ), was a sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major regional power in the 16th and 17th centuries, before experiencing a long pe ...

that existed from 1496 to 1903.

Local administrative structure

The local government of Aceh consists of the following levels, organized in descending order:

Lembaga Wali Nanggroë

The ''Lembaga Wali Nanggroë'' (lit "Institute chiefdom") is a provincial-level government designation. In the

Malay language Malay ( , ; , Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language spoken primarily by Malays (ethnic group), Malays in several islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and the Malay Peninsula on the mainland Asia. The lang ...

, it is referred to as "Negeri". A ''nanggroë'' is led by a ''raja'' (monarch) or a ''wali'' (chief), who has the title ''Paduka Yang Mulia'' (lit. "Your Excellency"). However, since Aceh is led by a

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

in the current Indonesian legal system, currently the ''Lembaga Wali Nanggroë'' is merely a ceremonial designation, kept as one of the symbols of Acehnese culture.

Sagoë

Sagoë is the

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

-level government. A sagoë consists of ''mukims'' (lit "areas"), the latter of which currently function as subdistricts. A sagoë is led by Ulèëbalang (or ''Hulubalang'' in Malay, literally means "general"), whose title is ''Teuku'' or Ampon.

Mukim

Mukim is the

subdistrict A subdistrict or sub-district is an administrative division that is generally smaller than a district. Equivalents * Administrative posts of East Timor, formerly Portuguese-language * Kelurahan, in Indonesia * Mukim, a township in Brunei, Ind ...

-level government that was first implemented during the Aceh Sultanate. A mukim consists of several villages called ''gampông''. Each mukim has a mosque for Friday

prayers File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

. The one who was in charge of a mosque is calle ''Teungku Imum Raja''. Mukim is led by Imum Mukim, who is assisted by a deliberative council called ''Tuha Lapan'' (lit "Eight elders").

Gampông

''Gampông'' (''kampung'' or ''keluarahan'' in Malay) is the village-level government, and functions autonomously. A ''gampông'' is led by a

village head A village head, village headman or village chief is the community leader of a village or a small town. Usage Brunei In Brunei, village head is called or in the Malay language. It is an administrative post which leads the community of a ...

called ''Keuchik'' or ''Geuchik'', who is assisted by a deliberative council called ''Tuha Peuët''.

Constitutional system

The provincial government is led by the governor, and each city or regency is led by its respective major or regent. The provincial parliament is led by the People's Representative Council of Aceh (DPRA), while the city or district parliament is led by the city or regency's People's Representative Council (DPRK). Aceh's judicial system is led by the Aceh Sharia Court.

Local parties

The Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2005, which ended the 30-year long insurgency, stipulated that local political parties must be organized in no more than one year after the signing of the memorandum. The

government of Indonesia The term Government of the Republic of Indonesia (, GOI, sometimes also referred to as Government of Indonesia or the Central Government () especially in laws) can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively ...

agreed to facilitate the formation of political parties based in Aceh that met the national requirement.

References

{{Reflist Aceh