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 | San MarinoReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal familyIdentical | Civil law | Civil law |
| System of government | Unitary semi-presidential republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Constitution | Constitution de la République d'Haïti | Declaration of Citizens’ Rights and Leges Statutae |
| In force since | 1987 | 1600 |
| Capital | Port-au-Prince | City of San Marino |
| Official languages | French, Haitian Creole | Italian |
| Currency | Haitian gourde (HTG) | Euro (EUR) |
| Population | 11,600,000 | 34,000 |
| 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. | A parliamentary republic in which two Captains Regent serve as joint ceremonial heads of state for six months, a Congress of State governs, and the Grand and General Council legislates. |
| 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. | Laws are adopted by the Grand and General Council and promulgated in the name of the Captains Regent. |
| 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. | Avvocati and notai belong to the professional order of San Marino; many judges are non-resident Italian magistrates appointed for fixed terms. |
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.