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.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | Bosnia and HerzegovinaReviewed | HaitiReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal familyIdentical | Civil law | Civil law |
| System of government | Federal parliamentary republic | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Dayton Annex 4) | Constitution de la Rรฉpublique d'Haรฏti |
| In force since | 1995 | 1987 |
| Capital | Sarajevo | Port-au-Prince |
| Official languages | Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian | French, Haitian Creole |
| Currency | Convertible mark (BAM) | Haitian gourde (HTG) |
| Population | 3,200,000 | 11,600,000 |
| Division of powers | A three-member Presidency and Council of Ministers at state level share power with two autonomous entities and the Brฤko District, each with their own legislatures and courts, under a Constitutional Court. | Unitary with constitutionally recognised decentralisation to 10 departments, arrondissements and communes, and to the communal section as the smallest territorial unit. In practice the elected local bodies are largely unfilled and replaced by appointed interim commissions. |
| How law is made | State laws require approval of both houses of the Parliamentary Assembly with entity-vote safeguards, while most everyday law is made at entity level. | Under the 1987 Constitution bills pass both chambers and are promulgated by the President, who may return a text once for reconsideration. With Parliament not sitting, measures have been issued as executive decrees since 2020 โ a practice widely criticised as lacking constitutional foundation, and a key reason to check the current status of any recent instrument before relying on it. |
| Legal profession | Advokati/odvjetnici belong to entity bar associations; notaries handle deeds and company acts under entity notary laws. | Advocates are admitted to one of the departmental bars (Ordre des avocats), most prominently the Port-au-Prince bar, after a law degree and a period of pupillage. Notaries hold a separate public office with exclusive competence over authentic acts including land transfers, which matters greatly given widespread informality in land title. |
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.