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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| Attribute | Cape VerdeReviewed | MadagascarReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law (Portuguese tradition) | French civil law with customary law |
| System of government | Unitary semi-presidential republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Cabo Verde | Constitution of the Fourth Republic |
| In force since | 1992 | 2010 |
| Capital | Praia | Antananarivo |
| Official languages | Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole | Malagasy, French |
| Currency | Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE) | Malagasy ariary (MGA) |
| Population | 600,000 | 30,300,000 |
| Division of powers | Semi-presidential: a directly elected President with limited powers, a Prime Minister accountable to the National Assembly, and an independent judiciary with a separate Constitutional Court. | Unitary with a decentralised structure of 23 regions and communes. Successive constitutions have promised fuller decentralisation, including provincial autonomy, which has not been implemented. |
| How law is made | Bills are debated in general and in detail by the National Assembly, voted, then sent to the President for promulgation. The President may veto or request prior constitutional review by the Constitutional Court. | Bills originate with the government or members of either chamber, are examined in committee, and must pass both the National Assembly and the Senate; the Assembly prevails on disagreement. The Haute Cour Constitutionnelle may review a law before promulgation, and organic laws must be referred to it as a matter of course. |
| Legal profession | Advogados admitted through the Ordem dos Advogados after a law degree and traineeship; notaries and registrars form separate careers on the Portuguese model. | Avocats admitted to the Ordre des avocats de Madagascar after a law degree and professional training, alongside notaires for authenticated instruments and huissiers for service and enforcement — the standard French division of functions. |
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.