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
Attribute	EswatiniReviewed	NamibiaReviewed	NauruReviewed
Legal family	Mixed Roman-Dutch, English common law and Swazi customary law	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law	Common law with customary law
System of government	Absolute monarchy	Semi-presidential republic	Parliamentary republic
Constitution	Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini	Constitution of the Republic of Namibia	Constitution of Nauru
In force since	2005	1990	1968
Capital	Mbabane	Windhoek	Yaren (seat of government)
Official languages	siSwati, English	English	Nauruan, English
Currency	Swazi lilangeni (SZL)	Namibian dollar (NAD)	Australian dollar (AUD)
Population	1,200,000	2,600,000	12,500
Division of powers	Unitary with four regions and 55 tinkhundla constituencies that combine electoral and administrative functions. Chiefs administer Swazi Nation Land under the King as trustee.	Unitary with 14 administrative regions and elected regional councils, which also constitute the National Council, the upper chamber. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over communal land and customary law.	Unitary and highly centralised — Nauru has no second tier of general government. The Nauru Island Council was abolished in 1999, so the state deals directly with citizens, though the 14 districts remain the basis for parliamentary constituencies and the twelve tribes retain social significance in land and title questions.
How law is made	Bills pass the House of Assembly and Senate and require royal assent, which the King may withhold. The King may also legislate by decree in defined circumstances, and bills touching Swazi law and custom are referred to traditional structures. Constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority of both chambers sitting jointly, and for entrenched provisions a referendum.	Bills pass the National Assembly through three readings, then go to the National Council for review. The Council may confirm, propose amendments, or object; the Assembly can override an objection by a two-thirds majority. The President then assents, and constitutional amendments require two-thirds of both chambers and may never diminish the rights chapter.	Bills receive three readings in the 19-member chamber and are assented to by the President. Ordinary legislation needs a simple majority, but the entrenched provisions of Part XI require a two-thirds majority and, for the most protected articles, approval at a referendum — the barrier that defeated the 2010 reform proposals.
Legal profession	A fused profession of attorneys admitted by the High Court after a law degree and articles, regulated by the Law Society of Eswatini; advocates may be admitted separately for higher-court work.	A fused profession under the Legal Practitioners Act: a single class of legal practitioner is admitted after a law degree and the Justice Training Centre's postgraduate course, and the Law Society of Namibia regulates practice.	A very small fused profession admitted by the Supreme Court under the Legal Practitioners Act 1973, supplemented by pleaders — non-lawyers licensed to appear in the District Court and before the Lands Committee, a practical necessity given the number of resident lawyers. Judicial officers are frequently appointed from Australia, New Zealand or elsewhere in the Pacific.

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.