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 | Sri LankaReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law (Portuguese tradition) | Mixed civil, common and customary law |
| System of government | Unitary semi-presidential republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Cabo Verde | Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka |
| In force since | 1992 | 1978 |
| Capital | Praia | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte |
| Official languages | Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole | Sinhala, Tamil, English |
| Currency | Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE) | Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) |
| Population | 600,000 | 22,200,000 |
| 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 devolved provincial layer created by the Thirteenth Amendment of 1987, which established nine provincial councils with legislative competence over a devolved list. Devolution has been contested and uneven; provincial councils have operated without elections since 2018, and the Northern and Eastern provinces' status was central to the conflict that ended in 2009. |
| 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 are published in the Gazette at least seven days before first reading, which is the trigger for the one-week window to petition the Supreme Court. A bill inconsistent with the Constitution needs a two-thirds majority, and in some cases a referendum. After enactment the Speaker's certificate is conclusive and the Act is immune from challenge. |
| 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. | A single fused profession: attorneys-at-law are admitted and enrolled by the Supreme Court after the Sri Lanka Law College course and examinations, or a recognised law degree plus the final examination. The historic split between advocates and proctors was abolished in 1974. President's Counsel is a distinction conferred by the President. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka represents the profession, and attorneys have rights of audience in all courts from admission. |
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.