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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
AttributeBruneiReviewedPolandReviewedNamibiaReviewed
Legal familyMixed common law and Islamic lawCivil lawMixed Roman-Dutch and English common law
System of governmentAbsolute monarchyUnitary parliamentary republicSemi-presidential republic
ConstitutionConstitution of Brunei DarussalamConstitution of the Republic of PolandConstitution of the Republic of Namibia
In force since195919971990
CapitalBandar Seri BegawanWarsawWindhoek
Official languagesMalay, EnglishPolishEnglish
CurrencyBrunei dollar (BND)Polish złoty (PLN)Namibian dollar (NAD)
Population450,00036,700,0002,600,000
Division of powersUnitary, with four districts administered by district officers reporting to the Ministry of Home Affairs. No federal or devolved tier; village and mukim headmen have recognised consultative functions.A tripartite separation under Article 10, with a directly elected President holding a legislative veto that only a three-fifths Sejm majority can override.Unitary with 14 administrative regions and elected regional councils, which also constitute the National Council, the upper chamber. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over communal land and customary law.
How law is madeIn form, bills are introduced in the Legislative Council and assented to by the Sultan. In practice the significant instruments are Orders made by the Sultan under the emergency proclamation, which take effect on publication in the Government Gazette without Council passage. The Syariah Penal Code Order 2013 was enacted this way.A bill passes three readings in the Sejm, goes to the Senate, which may amend or reject within 30 days, returns to the Sejm, and is then signed by the President — who may instead veto it or refer it to the Constitutional Tribunal.Bills pass the National Assembly through three readings, then go to the National Council for review. The Council may confirm, propose amendments, or object; the Assembly can override an objection by a two-thirds majority. The President then assents, and constitutional amendments require two-thirds of both chambers and may never diminish the rights chapter.
Legal professionAdvocates and solicitors are admitted by the High Court under the Legal Profession Act, generally after qualifying in England, Malaysia, Singapore or Australia and completing local requirements. The profession is small — a few hundred practitioners — and foreign counsel may be admitted ad hoc for particular cases. Syariah practice is a separate track: Syariah lawyers are certified under the Syariah Courts Act and appear only in the Syariah hierarchy, so a matter that crosses both systems needs two sets of representation.Two advocacy professions exist side by side: adwokaci and radcowie prawni, both with rights of audience after a bar traineeship and examination. Notaries and bailiffs are separate regulated professions.A fused profession under the Legal Practitioners Act: a single class of legal practitioner is admitted after a law degree and the Justice Training Centre's postgraduate course, and the Law Society of Namibia regulates practice.

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 — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.