 The governor is considered the head of the local administration, but also the president's agent in the department to maintain public order and implement national policies.Each department has a departmental assembly ("asamblea departamental"), with between 11 and 31 members depending on the department's population, whose members are elected using the same electoral system as that used for congressional elections - namely, optional open party-list proportional representation with the threshold being equal to half of the electoral quotient.Political parties choose whether their lists are 'preferential' (open) or 'non-preferential' (closed).