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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.

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Comparison of selected legal systems
AttributeIranReviewedNigerIndexedCyprusReviewed
Legal familyIslamic law with civil law codificationCivil law (French tradition)Mixed common law and civil law
System of governmentIslamic republicRepublic under military-led governmentUnitary presidential republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Islamic Republic of IranConstitution of the Seventh Republic (suspended)Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus
In force since197920101960
CapitalTehranNiameyNicosia
Official languagesPersianFrench, Hausa, ZarmaGreek, Turkish
CurrencyRial (IRR)West African CFA franc (XOF)Euro (EUR)
Population89,000,00026,200,0001,260,000
Division of powersUnitary, with 31 provinces headed by governors-general appointed by the Interior Ministry, alongside elected city and village councils created by the Constitution and operating since 1999 with limited competences.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.Unitary, with districts administered centrally and elected municipalities. In practice the government exercises effective control over roughly the southern two-thirds of the island; the north has been separately administered since 1974 under an entity recognised only by Turkey, and the application of the EU acquis is suspended there under Protocol 10 to the Accession Treaty. The atlas describes the law of the Republic and notes where it is not effectively applied.
How law is madeA bill is introduced by the Government or by at least fifteen deputies, passes the Majlis, and goes to the Guardian Council, which has ten days, extendable, to find it consistent with Islam and the Constitution. If the Council objects, the bill returns for amendment; persistent disagreement goes to the Expediency Discernment Council, whose decision is final. Only then does the President sign and publish.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.Bills are introduced by ministers or members and passed by the House of Representatives. The President may return a law for reconsideration or refer it to the Supreme Court for a constitutionality ruling before promulgation; if the Court finds no conflict, promulgation follows. Laws enter into force on publication in the Official Gazette unless otherwise provided, and EU obligations are frequently implemented by harmonising statute and regulation.
Legal professionTwo parallel routes to practice, which is unusual and consequential: attorneys licensed by the Iranian Bar Association (Kanoon-e Vokala), a self-governing body dating to 1953, and attorneys licensed under Article 187 of the Third Development Plan directly by the judiciary. The two groups have contested each other's standing for two decades. Notaries operate licensed offices under the registration organisation, and their authentication is required for property transfers, marriage contracts and powers of attorney.Avocats admitted through the Barreau du Niger after a law degree and traineeship; notaires and huissiers are separate offices.A fused profession of advocates admitted under the Advocates Law after a law degree, the Legal Council examinations and a twelve-month pupillage, with compulsory membership of the Cyprus Bar Association. Many practitioners qualify in the United Kingdom or Greece, and English-language practice is standard in commercial work. Advocates hold a monopoly on court representation and on certifying company documents, and the profession is unusually large per head of population because of the international corporate and trusts business.

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.