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Comparison of selected legal systems
AttributeGrenadaReviewedUruguayReviewedLithuaniaReviewedGermanyReviewedVanuatuReviewed
Legal familyCommon lawCivil lawCivil lawCivil lawMixed common, civil and customary law
System of governmentConstitutional monarchyUnitary presidential republicUnitary semi-presidential republicFederal parliamentary republicUnitary parliamentary republic
ConstitutionThe Grenada ConstitutionConstitution of the Oriental Republic of UruguayConstitution of the Republic of LithuaniaGrundgesetz (Basic Law)Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu
In force since19731967199219491980
CapitalSaint George'sMontevideoVilniusBerlinPort Vila
Official languagesEnglishSpanishLithuanianGermanBislama, English, French
CurrencyEast Caribbean dollar (XCD)Uruguayan peso (UYU)Euro (EUR)Euro (EUR)Vanuatu vatu (VUV)
Population126,0003,400,0002,860,00084,400,000330,000
Division of powersUnitary. The state comprises Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique; Carriacou and Petite Martinique have a Ministry and local administration but no separate legislature.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.Semi-presidential government with a directly elected President focused on foreign and security policy, a Government answerable to the Seimas, and a separate Constitutional Court.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 โ€” Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea and Torba โ€” 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.
How law is madeBills pass three readings in both Houses and receive the Governor-General's assent. Constitutional amendments to entrenched provisions need a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and then approval by a referendum, a double lock that has defeated every reform package put to voters.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 are adopted by the Seimas and signed by the President, who may veto and return a bill for reconsideration.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.
Legal professionA fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court under the Legal Profession Act, after a law degree and the Legal Education Certificate. The Grenada Bar Association represents practitioners.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.Advocates belong to the Lithuanian Bar Association; notaries handle property, company and succession formalities.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.

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.