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 | Equatorial GuineaIndexed | GrenadaReviewed | BarbadosReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law (Spanish tradition) | Common law | Common law |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Constitutional monarchy | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Constitution | Fundamental Law of Equatorial Guinea | The Grenada Constitution | Constitution of Barbados |
| In force since | 1991 | 1973 | 1966 |
| Capital | Malabo | Saint George's | Bridgetown |
| Official languages | Spanish, French, Portuguese | English | English |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | Barbadian dollar (BBD) |
| Population | 1,700,000 | 126,000 | 280,000 |
| Division of powers | Presidential system with a Vice-President and Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of Chamber of Deputies and Senate, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court of Justice. | Unitary. The state comprises Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique; Carriacou and Petite Martinique have a Ministry and local administration but no separate legislature. | Unitary. Parliament legislates for the whole island and the 11 parishes have no legislative powers; there is no elected local government tier. |
| How law is made | Bills pass the Chamber of Deputies and Senate and are promulgated by the President, who may return a text for reconsideration. | Bills pass three readings in both Houses and receive the Governor-General's assent. Constitutional amendments to entrenched provisions need a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and then approval by a referendum, a double lock that has defeated every reform package put to voters. | Bills pass three readings in the House of Assembly and the Senate, then receive presidential assent. The Senate may delay a money bill by one month and other bills by longer, but cannot block indefinitely. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of all members of each House. |
| Legal profession | Abogados admitted through the Ilustre Colegio de Abogados; practice requires competence in both Spanish codes and French-language OHADA texts. | A fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court under the Legal Profession Act, after a law degree and the Legal Education Certificate. The Grenada Bar Association represents practitioners. | A fused profession of attorneys-at-law under the Legal Profession Act, admitted after a law degree and the Legal Education Certificate. The Barbados Bar Association handles professional matters and a statutory Disciplinary Committee hears complaints. |
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.