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 | HaitiReviewed | Ivory CoastReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Civil law (French tradition) |
| System of government | Unitary semi-presidential republic | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution de la République d'Haïti | Constitution of the Third Republic |
| In force since | 1987 | 2016 |
| Capital | Port-au-Prince | Yamoussoukro |
| Official languages | French, Haitian Creole | French, Baoulé, Dioula |
| Currency | Haitian gourde (HTG) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Population | 11,600,000 | 28,900,000 |
| Division of powers | Unitary with constitutionally recognised decentralisation to 10 departments, arrondissements and communes, and to the communal section as the smallest territorial unit. In practice the elected local bodies are largely unfilled and replaced by appointed interim commissions. | Presidential system with a Vice-President and Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of National Assembly and Senate, and a judiciary headed by the Cour de cassation, Conseil d'État and Cour des comptes after the 2018 reorganisation. |
| How law is made | Under the 1987 Constitution bills pass both chambers and are promulgated by the President, who may return a text once for reconsideration. With Parliament not sitting, measures have been issued as executive decrees since 2020 — a practice widely criticised as lacking constitutional foundation, and a key reason to check the current status of any recent instrument before relying on it. | Government or parliamentary bills pass committee and plenary in both chambers; the National Assembly prevails after a failed conciliation. The President promulgates or refers the text for constitutional review. |
| Legal profession | Advocates are admitted to one of the departmental bars (Ordre des avocats), most prominently the Port-au-Prince bar, after a law degree and a period of pupillage. Notaries hold a separate public office with exclusive competence over authentic acts including land transfers, which matters greatly given widespread informality in land title. | Avocats admitted through the Barreau de Côte d'Ivoire; notaires, huissiers and commissaires-priseurs are separate ministerial officers. |
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.