In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as the means by which a mayor is elected or otherwise mandated. Depending on the system chosen, a mayor may be the chief executive officer of the municipal government, may simply chair a multi-member governing body with little or no independent power, or may play a solely ceremonial role. A mayor's duties and responsibilities may be to appoint and oversee municipal managers and employees, provide basic governmental services to constituents, and execute the laws and ordinances passed by a municipal governing body. Options for selection of a mayor include direct election by the public, or selection by an elected governing council or board.
A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term "powiat" is most often translated into English as "county" or "district". In historical contexts this may be confusing because the Polish term hrabstwo (an administrative unit administered/owned by a hrabia is also literally translated as "county".
Białystok Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from 1975 to 1998, when it was superseded by the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Its capital city was Białystok. It was formed in 1975 from part of the existing Białystok Voivodeship. The region was 10,055 km2 (3,882 sq mi), and its population in 1994, about 700 000 inhabitants. It was divided into 20 cities and 50 municipalities. It bordered with four Voivodeships: Suwałki, Łomża, Siedlce and Biała Podlaska and until 1991 with the Soviet Union, and later with Belarus.
A wójt is the highest administrative officer of a Polish rural gmina, i.e., of a commune (gmina) comprising only villages.
Augustów County is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland, on the border with Belarus. It came into being on 1 January 1999 as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest city is Augustów, which lies 83 kilometres (52 mi) north of the regional capital Białystok. The only other town in the county is Lipsk, lying 32 km (20 mi) south-east of Augustów.
Sokółka County is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland, on the border with Belarus. It was created on 1 January 1999 as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Sokółka, which lies 39 kilometres (24 mi) north-east of the regional capital Białystok. The county also contains the towns of Dąbrowa Białostocka, lying 30 km (19 mi) north of Sokółka, Krynki, lying 24 km (15 mi) south-east of Sokółka, and Suchowola, 33 km (21 mi) north-west of Sokółka.
Grajewo County is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Grajewo, which lies 76 kilometres (47 mi) north-west of the regional capital Białystok. The county also contains the towns of Szczuczyn, lying 15 km (9 mi) south-west of Grajewo, and Rajgród, 19 km (12 mi) north-east of Grajewo.
Mońki County is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, northeastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Mońki, which lies 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of the regional capital Białystok. The county also contains the towns of Knyszyn, lying 13 km (8 mi) southeast of Mońki, and Goniądz, 11 km (7 mi) northwest of Mońki.
The administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. The territory of Poland is divided into voivodeships (provinces); these are further divided into powiats, and these in turn are divided into gminas. Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat. Poland currently has 16 voivodeships, 380 powiats, and 2,478 gminas.
Ełk County is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999 as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and only town is Ełk, which lies 123 kilometres (76 mi) east of the regional capital Olsztyn.
Congress Poland was subdivided several times from its creation in 1815 until its dissolution in 1918. Congress Poland was divided into departments, a relic from the times of the French-dominated Duchy of Warsaw. In 1816 the administrative divisions were changed to forms that were more traditionally Polish: voivodeships, obwóds and powiats. Following the November Uprising, the subdivisions were again changed in 1837 to bring the subdivisions closer to the structure of the Russian Empire when guberniyas (governorates) were introduced. In this way, Congress Poland was gradually transformed into the "Vistulan Country". Over the next several decades, various smaller reforms were carried out, either changing the smaller administrative units or merging/splitting various guberniyas.
Gmina Puńsk is a rural gmina in Sejny County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, on the Lithuanian border. Its seat is the village of Puńsk, which lies approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) north-west of Sejny and 126 km (78 mi) north of the regional capital Białystok. The current mayor of Gmina Puńsk is Witold Liszkowski.
Gmina Wyszki is a rural gmina in Bielsk County, Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is located in north-eastern Poland.
A city with powiat rights is in Poland a designation denoting 66 of the 107 cities which exercise also the powers and duties of a county, thus being an independent city. Sometimes, such a city will also be referred to in Polish as city county ; this term however is not official. The contemporary term city with powiat rights should not be used interchangeably with the interwar city county.
The National Electoral Commission is the only permanent election commission in Poland. The second permanent electoral organs are komisarze wyborczy, which number is 51.
LGBT-free zones or LGBT ideology-free zones are municipalities and regions of Poland that have declared themselves unwelcoming of LGBT rights, in order to ban equality marches and other LGBT events. By June 2020, some 100 municipalities (map) and five voivodeships, encompassing a third of the country, had adopted resolutions which have been characterized as "LGBT-free zones". In September 2021, four of the voivodeships withdrew the measures, after the EU threatened to withhold funding. Poland's Human Rights Ombudsman challenged several LGBT-free zone resolutions and on 28 June 2022, a top Polish appeals court upheld lower court rulings that had annulled these resolutions, abolishing them in four municipalities. Supporters argue that the zones defend traditional family values, while opponents argue that the zones undermine the rights of LGBT people.
