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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
AttributeDR CongoReviewedMoldovaReviewedMexicoReviewed
Legal familyCivil law (Belgian tradition)Civil lawCivil law
System of governmentUnitary semi-presidential republicUnitary parliamentary republicFederal presidential republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Democratic Republic of the CongoConstitution of the Republic of MoldovaPolitical Constitution of the United Mexican States
In force since200619941917
CapitalKinshasaChiศ™inฤƒuMexico City
Official languagesFrench, Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, TshilubaRomanianSpanish, Nahuatl, Yucatec Maya
CurrencyCongolese Franc (CDF)Moldovan leu (MDL)Mexican peso (MXN)
Population102,300,0002,400,000130,000,000
Division of powersSemi-presidential: a directly elected President, a Prime Minister from the parliamentary majority, and a bicameral Parliament. The 2006 constitution split the former Supreme Court into three separate apex courts.Parliamentary, though the President has been directly elected since 2016; the Constitutional Court arbitrates between the two.Federal. Powers not expressly granted to the union are reserved to the 32 states (Article 124). States run their own civil, family and criminal-enforcement codes, but criminal procedure, labour and commercial law were federalised to produce single national codes.
How law is madeBills pass both chambers; persistent disagreement is resolved by a joint commission or a final National Assembly vote. The President promulgates within the constitutional period, and the Constitutional Court may be seised beforehand.Bills are adopted by Parliament, usually in two readings, and promulgated by the President, who may return a bill once for reconsideration. Publication in Monitorul Oficial is a condition of entry into force.Bills may be introduced by the President, either chamber, state legislatures or by citizens with 0.13% of the electoral roll. Both chambers must pass an identical text; the President may veto, and Congress overrides with two-thirds of each chamber. Constitutional amendments need two-thirds of Congress plus a majority of state legislatures (Article 135).
Legal professionAvocats admitted to provincial bars under the national Ordre des avocats after a law degree and traineeship; dรฉfenseurs judiciaires assist in lower courts.Lawyers are licensed by the Union of Advocates after examination and traineeship; notaries, bailiffs and authorised administrators are separate licensed professions.A law degree plus a cรฉdula profesional from the Education Ministry licenses practice; there is no compulsory bar examination or single mandatory bar, which distinguishes Mexico from most of the region. Notaries public are a separate, strictly limited state-appointed profession with exclusive competence over real estate and company 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 โ€” the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.