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 | GermanyReviewed | VanuatuReviewed | NigerIndexed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Mixed common, civil and customary law | Civil law (French tradition) |
| System of government | Federal parliamentary republic | Unitary parliamentary republic | Republic under military-led government |
| Constitution | Grundgesetz (Basic Law) | Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu | Constitution of the Seventh Republic (suspended) |
| In force since | 1949 | 1980 | 2010 |
| Capital | Berlin | Port Vila | Niamey |
| Official languages | German | Bislama, English, French | French, Hausa, Zarma |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Vanuatu vatu (VUV) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Population | 84,400,000 | 330,000 | 26,200,000 |
| Division of powers | Rechtsstaat separation of powers with an unusually strong Federal Constitutional Court that can annul statutes and hear individual constitutional complaints. | Unitary with decentralised administration. Six provinces — Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea and Torba — have councils under the Decentralisation Act with delegated functions. Custom land management is decentralised much further, to area-level Custom Land Tribunals and nakamal-based decision-making under the Custom Land Management Act 2013. | 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. |
| How law is made | Bills originate with the government, Bundestag or Bundesrat, pass three readings in the Bundestag, then require Bundesrat consent or non-objection; a mediation committee resolves deadlock. | Bills are read three times in the single chamber and assented to by the President, who may refer a bill to the Supreme Court if he considers it inconsistent with the Constitution. Ordinary bills need a simple majority of members present, with a quorum of two-thirds. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of all members; if the amendment touches the status of Bislama, English or French, land, or the republican form of the state, it must also be approved at a national referendum. | 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. |
| Legal profession | Two state examinations plus a two-year Referendariat produce the unified jurist qualified as Rechtsanwalt, judge, prosecutor or notary. | A fused profession regulated by the Legal Practitioners Act: practitioners are admitted by the Chief Justice and licensed by the Law Council. The University of the South Pacific's law school is in Port Vila, so many Pacific lawyers train in Vanuatu. Practitioners may need to work in Bislama, English or French depending on the client and the court file, and the Public Solicitor is a constitutional office rather than a discretionary aid scheme. | Avocats admitted through the Barreau du Niger after a law degree and traineeship; notaires and huissiers are separate offices. |
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.