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 | NigerIndexed | DR CongoReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law (Spanish tradition) | Civil law (French tradition) | Civil law (Belgian tradition) |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Republic under military-led government | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
| Constitution | Fundamental Law of Equatorial Guinea | Constitution of the Seventh Republic (suspended) | Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| In force since | 1991 | 2010 | 2006 |
| Capital | Malabo | Niamey | Kinshasa |
| Official languages | Spanish, French, Portuguese | French, Hausa, Zarma | French, Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Congolese Franc (CDF) |
| Population | 1,700,000 | 26,200,000 | 102,300,000 |
| 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. | Under the suspended constitution, a semi-presidential system with a President, Prime Minister and National Assembly. Currently executive and legislative authority is concentrated in the CNSP and an appointed government. | Semi-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. |
| 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. | Legislation is currently made by order of the governing authority and published in the Journal Officiel. The suspended constitution provided for ordinary parliamentary passage and presidential promulgation. | Bills 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. |
| Legal profession | Abogados admitted through the Ilustre Colegio de Abogados; practice requires competence in both Spanish codes and French-language OHADA texts. | Avocats admitted through the Barreau du Niger after a law degree and traineeship; notaires and huissiers are separate offices. | Avocats admitted to provincial bars under the national Ordre des avocats after a law degree and traineeship; défenseurs judiciaires assist in lower courts. |
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.