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
Clear selectionAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzechiaDR CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHoly See (Vatican City)HondurasHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorth KoreaNorth MacedoniaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalQatarRepublic of the CongoRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaSรฃo Tomรฉ and PrรญncipeTajikistanTanzaniaThailandThe BahamasTimor-LesteTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamYemenZambiaZimbabwe
| Attribute | IndonesiaReviewed | YemenReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Mixed civil, customary and Islamic law | Mixed (Islamic law and civil law) |
| System of government | Presidential republic | Republic with contested authority |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia 1945 | Constitution of the Republic of Yemen |
| In force since | 1945 | 1991 |
| Capital | Jakarta | Sana'a (constitutional); Aden (interim seat of government) |
| Official languages | Indonesian | Arabic |
| Currency | Indonesian rupiah (IDR) | Yemeni rial (YER) |
| Population | 281,600,000 | 34,400,000 |
| Division of powers | Unitary but heavily decentralised since the 1999 regional autonomy laws, which devolved most service delivery to some 500 regencies and cities rather than to the 38 provinces. Aceh, Papua and its successor provinces, Yogyakarta and Jakarta hold special autonomy statuses with distinct arrangements โ Aceh includes Sharia jurisdiction and its own political parties; Yogyakarta's governor is hereditary. | Nominally unitary with twenty-two governorates and appointed governors, and a 2000 local authority law providing for elected local councils. In practice territorial control is divided between rival authorities, and the 2015 draft federal constitution proposing six regions was never adopted. |
| How law is made | Bills may originate with the DPR, the President or the DPD on regional matters, and require the agreement of both the DPR and the President โ a genuine joint enactment rather than assent. Once approved the President promulgates; if he does not, the bill becomes law after 30 days. The Constitutional Court may then annul it. The 2020 Job Creation Law was found conditionally unconstitutional for defective process, which forced the enactment of a new law on legislative drafting. | Under the constitution, bills are passed by the House of Representatives and ratified by the head of state, with publication in the Official Gazette. Since 2014 this process has not operated normally: the recognised government legislates largely by decree from Aden, and the Houthi authorities issue their own instruments in the areas they control. Determining the applicable rule in a given place and period is a factual question, not merely a legal one. |
| Legal profession | Advocates are admitted under the Advocate Law 2003 after a law degree, a professional course, the bar examination and two years' apprenticeship, then sworn in by a High Court. PERADI is the principal bar association, though the profession has been divided by competing organisations, and the Constitutional Court has held that multiple bars may coexist while a single body administers admission. Notaries are a separate regulated profession with exclusive competence over deeds of incorporation and land transfers. | Advocates are licensed under the Advocacy Law and organised in the Yemeni Bar Association, which has continued to operate and to make representations about judicial independence throughout the conflict. Judges are trained at the High Judicial Institute and appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council, but appointments made by rival authorities since 2014 are not mutually recognised. Legal aid is minimal and provided mainly by non-governmental organisations. |
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.