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 | CubaReviewed | BruneiReviewed | MaltaReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Socialist civil law | Mixed common law and Islamic law | Mixed (civil and common law) |
| System of government | One-party socialist republic | Absolute monarchy | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Constitution | Constitución de la República de Cuba | Constitution of Brunei Darussalam | Constitution of Malta |
| In force since | 2019 | 1959 | 1964 |
| Capital | Havana | Bandar Seri Begawan | Valletta |
| Official languages | Spanish | Malay, English | Maltese, English |
| Currency | Cuban peso (CUP) | Brunei dollar (BND) | Euro (EUR) |
| Population | 11,200,000 | 450,000 | 540,000 |
| Division of powers | Unitary, organised on the principle of a single system of state power. The 2019 Constitution and the 2019 territorial reform recognise 15 provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, with provincial governors appointed on the President's nomination. | Unitary, 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 parliamentary republic with a ceremonial President, a Cabinet led by the Prime Minister answerable to the House of Representatives and an independent judiciary. |
| How law is made | Legislative initiative lies with deputies, the Council of State, the Council of Ministers, the courts, the Prosecutor General, mass organisations and 10,000 citizens by popular initiative. The Assembly meets in short ordinary sessions, so much law is made by decree-law of the Council of State and subsequently ratified. Constitutional amendment requires two-thirds of the Assembly, and a referendum for provisions on the political system or rights. | In 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. | Bills are passed by the House of Representatives and assented to by the President before publication in the Government Gazette. |
| Legal profession | Practising litigators generally work through the Organización Nacional de Bufetes Colectivos, a self-financing national body of collective law offices; independent private practice is not a recognised route. Membership of the Unión Nacional de Juristas de Cuba is the professional association. Notarial functions are performed by state notaries. | Advocates 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. | Advocates are admitted to the bar after a law degree and warrant; legal procurators and notaries handle procedural filing and authentication of deeds. |
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.