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 | UruguayReviewed | EcuadorReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law (Spanish tradition) | Civil law | Civil law |
| System of governmentIdentical | Unitary presidential republic | Unitary presidential republic | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Fundamental Law of Equatorial Guinea | Constitution of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay | Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador |
| In force since | 1991 | 1967 | 2008 |
| Capital | Malabo | Montevideo | Quito |
| Official languages | Spanish, French, Portuguese | Spanish | Spanish, Quechua, Shuar |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Uruguayan peso (UYU) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Population | 1,700,000 | 3,400,000 | 18,200,000 |
| 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. Nineteen departments have elected intendentes and juntas with administrative and local taxing competence, and municipalities were added in 2010, but all legislative power belongs to the General Assembly. | Unitary and decentralised, with twenty-four provinces and autonomous decentralised governments at provincial, cantonal and parish level. Indigenous authorities exercise their own jurisdiction under Article 171, subject to constitutional review. |
| 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 both chambers; disagreement is resolved by the General Assembly sitting jointly. The executive may veto, overcome by three-fifths of the joint assembly. Distinctively, 25% of registered voters can force a referendum to repeal a statute within one year of promulgation, and 10% can initiate a constitutional plebiscite. | Bills go to the Assembly from members, the President, the Court, citizens or autonomous governments, and need two debates. The President may fully or partially object; a full objection can only be overcome after a year or by a two-thirds vote. Urgent economic bills become law by decree if the Assembly fails to act in thirty days. Amendment routes differ by depth, from Assembly vote to constituent assembly. |
| Legal profession | Abogados admitted through the Ilustre Colegio de Abogados; practice requires competence in both Spanish codes and French-language OHADA texts. | A degree from the Universidad de la Repรบblica or an accredited private faculty confers the title of abogado, with registration by the Supreme Court. Membership of the Colegio de Abogados del Uruguay is voluntary; the Supreme Court exercises discipline. Escribanos pรบblicos are a separate profession with exclusive competence over conveyancing. | A law degree plus registration in the Forense registry of the Consejo de la Judicatura, and usually membership of a provincial colegio de abogados. The Judicature Council holds disciplinary power. Public defence is provided by the Defensorรญa Pรบblica, a separate autonomous body. |
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.