Counties of Lungary

**Subdivisions** | Municipalities

**Counties** (Lungarian: *Bezirk*, plural *bezirker*) are the second-largest subdivision of **Lungary**. Twenty-seven of the states of Lungary (all but the three city-states) are subdivided into a number of counties, who each have some degree of autonomy from their state and federal governments.

The counties of Lungary were established in 1874, and were awarded as gifts to members of the nobility. These noble families who were awarded counties became the counts and countesses of Lungary; today, the counts and countesses hold no official powers in their counties, but continue to remain a ceremonial figure akin to a head of state. This makes the Lungarian counties a unique national subdivision, as they each have a head of government and a head of state.

## Counties

*Main article: List of counties of Lungary*

There are 796 counties in Lungary. Kronhaus has the smallest amount of counties with 7, while Harlein has the largest with 79.

## Government

Each county's government consists of a county council, county executive, and a count or countess. The county council makes up the legislative branch, with county councillors elected directly by voting-age residents. Each state has the liberty to determine how many seats are on each county council. The frequency of elections is also determined by the states rather than the individual counties, with most states allowing for elections every two or four years. The county council will appoint a county executive, who acts as the head of government and leads a council of directors; the county executive is not a member of the county council, but is a member of the council's governing coalition.

Each county additionally has a count or countess who acts as a head of state. When the counties were first formed in 1874, each were awarded as a gift to a different noble family. Today, the counts and countesses hold no real powers in county government, and even hold less power than a head of state of an independent nation would. Their only power besides acting as a figurehead of the county is to formally appoint the county executive and the council of directors; in effect, the county executive is now appointed by the county council, while the head of state still formally appoints the county directors, but these individuals are chosen by the county executive.

Each head of state is simultaneously the head of the noble house they belong to. Succession rules differ depending on the noble house, with some houses allowing women to succeed, while others do not. Individuals with the title count or countess must be the child of a head of state of a county; nieces and nephews cannot hold this title.

## Subdivisions

### Municipalities

Each county is divided into several municipalities. A municipality can be designated as rural or urban; rural municipalities are centered around a single hamlet, which is then surrounded by smaller villages. Meanwhile, an urban municipality is centered around a city, which is then surrounded by smaller towns. Municipalities exist for statistical purposes, and do not have an elected government. For the most part, municipalities are represented in local government through their county governments; however, cities will have a city council and mayor, which is the smallest form of local government that exists in Lungary.