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Comparison

Read two legal systems against each other

Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.

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Comparison of selected legal systems
AttributeAustriaReviewedLithuaniaReviewedMalawiReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawCivil lawEnglish common law with customary law
System of governmentFederal parliamentary republicUnitary semi-presidential republicPresidential republic
ConstitutionBundes-Verfassungsgesetz (B-VG)Constitution of the Republic of LithuaniaConstitution of the Republic of Malawi
In force since192019921994
CapitalViennaVilniusLilongwe
Official languagesGermanLithuanianEnglish, Chichewa
CurrencyEuro (EUR)Euro (EUR)Malawian kwacha (MWK)
Population9,100,0002,860,00020,900,000
Division of powersNine Lรคnder hold their own constitutions, parliaments and governments, but the federation retains far more legislative power than in Germany or Switzerland; much Lรคnder activity is administering federal law (mittelbare Bundesverwaltung). Three separate high courts sit at the apex, for constitutional, administrative and ordinary matters respectively.Semi-presidential government with a directly elected President focused on foreign and security policy, a Government answerable to the Seimas, and a separate Constitutional Court.Unitary with three regions and 28 districts administered by local councils. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over customary land and local dispute resolution.
How law is madeBills originate with the government, members of the Nationalrat, the Bundesrat or a popular initiative, and pass three readings in the Nationalrat. The Bundesrat may object but can normally be overridden. The Federal President authenticates the law, the Chancellor countersigns, and it is published in the Bundesgesetzblatt.Bills are adopted by the Seimas and signed by the President, who may veto and return a bill for reconsideration.Bills pass three readings in the National Assembly with committee scrutiny and are presented for presidential assent, which must be given or withheld within 21 days. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, and amendments affecting entrenched provisions additionally require a referendum.
Legal professionA Rechtsanwalt qualifies through a law degree, five years of practical training including at least three in a law firm and some months at court, and the bar examination. Admission is via the regional bar chambers under the umbrella of the ร–sterreichischer Rechtsanwaltskammertag. Notaries are a separate profession with appointments limited in number.Advocates belong to the Lithuanian Bar Association; notaries handle property, company and succession formalities.A fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court after a law degree, regulated by the Malawi Law Society under the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act.

A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full โ€” the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.