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	EthiopiaReviewed	DjiboutiReviewed
Legal family	Civil law with customary and religious personal status	Civil law with Islamic and customary personal status
System of government	Federal parliamentary republic	Semi-presidential republic
Constitution	Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia	Constitution of the Republic of Djibouti
In force since	1995	1992
Capital	Addis Ababa	Djibouti
Official languages	Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya, Afar	Arabic, French, Somali, Afar
Currency	Ethiopian birr (ETB)	Djiboutian franc (DJF)
Population	126,500,000	1,140,000
Division of powers	Federal, with regional states and two chartered cities, Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. Regions have their own constitutions, legislatures, executives and court systems, and residual power lies with them rather than the federation. Regional courts exercise delegated federal jurisdiction in areas where federal first-instance courts have not been established, so the two systems interlock in practice.	Unitary, with five regions and the capital district. Regional councils were introduced by the decentralisation laws of 2002 and hold limited local competences; there is no legislative devolution.
How law is made	Bills are introduced by the Council of Ministers or by members of the House of Peoples' Representatives, examined in standing committee, and passed by simple majority. The House of Federation does not participate in ordinary legislation — its functions are constitutional interpretation, approving state-of-emergency declarations affecting rights, and deciding questions about nations and nationalities. Proclamations take effect on publication in the Federal Negarit Gazeta, which is the authoritative text.	Bills originate with the government or with deputies, are examined in committee and adopted by the National Assembly. Organic laws require referral to the Constitutional Council before promulgation. The President promulgates within fifteen days and may request a second deliberation. The government may legislate by ordinance under an enabling statute, subject to later ratification.
Legal profession	Advocates are licensed federally by the Federal Attorney General's office or regionally by justice bureaux, with the licence determining which courts they may appear before — a federal licence is required for the federal courts. The Ethiopian Federal Advocates Association represents the profession. Judges are appointed on the nomination of the Judicial Administration Council and approved by parliament; law graduates from the university faculties supply both bench and bar.	A small avocat profession organised in a single bar in the capital, admitted on the French model after a law degree and professional training, frequently completed abroad. Notaries handle conveyancing and company formation. Judges are career appointments, and the limited size of the profession means many practitioners move between bench, bar and government service.

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.