Comparison

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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
Attribute	DjiboutiReviewed	YemenReviewed
Legal family	Civil law with Islamic and customary personal status	Mixed (Islamic law and civil law)
System of government	Semi-presidential republic	Republic with contested authority
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Djibouti	Constitution of the Republic of Yemen
In force since	1992	1991
Capital	Djibouti	Sana'a (constitutional); Aden (interim seat of government)
Official languages	Arabic, French, Somali, Afar	Arabic
Currency	Djiboutian franc (DJF)	Yemeni rial (YER)
Population	1,140,000	34,400,000
Division of powers	Unitary, with five regions and the capital district. Regional councils were introduced by the decentralisation laws of 2002 and hold limited local competences; there is no legislative devolution.	Nominally unitary with twenty-two governorates and appointed governors, and a 2000 local authority law providing for elected local councils. In practice territorial control is divided between rival authorities, and the 2015 draft federal constitution proposing six regions was never adopted.
How law is made	Bills originate with the government or with deputies, are examined in committee and adopted by the National Assembly. Organic laws require referral to the Constitutional Council before promulgation. The President promulgates within fifteen days and may request a second deliberation. The government may legislate by ordinance under an enabling statute, subject to later ratification.	Under the constitution, bills are passed by the House of Representatives and ratified by the head of state, with publication in the Official Gazette. Since 2014 this process has not operated normally: the recognised government legislates largely by decree from Aden, and the Houthi authorities issue their own instruments in the areas they control. Determining the applicable rule in a given place and period is a factual question, not merely a legal one.
Legal profession	A small avocat profession organised in a single bar in the capital, admitted on the French model after a law degree and professional training, frequently completed abroad. Notaries handle conveyancing and company formation. Judges are career appointments, and the limited size of the profession means many practitioners move between bench, bar and government service.	Advocates are licensed under the Advocacy Law and organised in the Yemeni Bar Association, which has continued to operate and to make representations about judicial independence throughout the conflict. Judges are trained at the High Judicial Institute and appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council, but appointments made by rival authorities since 2014 are not mutually recognised. Legal aid is minimal and provided mainly by non-governmental organisations.

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.