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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| Attribute | LibyaIndexed | ChadIndexed | MadagascarReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law with Islamic law as a source | Mixed (French civil law, customary and Islamic law) | French civil law with customary law |
| System of government | Provisional government with contested authority | Unitary presidential republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitutional Declaration (interim) | Constitution of the Republic of Chad | Constitution of the Fourth Republic |
| In force since | 2011 | 2023 | 2010 |
| Capital | Tripoli | N'Djamena | Antananarivo |
| Official languages | Arabic | French, Arabic | Malagasy, French |
| Currency | Libyan dinar (LYD) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Malagasy ariary (MGA) |
| Population | 6,900,000 | 18,300,000 | 30,300,000 |
| Division of powers | Nominally unitary with governorates and municipalities. In practice authority is divided between competing administrations and local armed actors, and municipal councils have in many places become the most functional layer of government. | Presidential system with a Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of National Assembly and Senate under the 2023 text, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court. | Unitary with a decentralised structure of 23 regions and communes. Successive constitutions have promised fuller decentralisation, including provincial autonomy, which has not been implemented. |
| How law is made | There is no single functioning legislative process. The House of Representatives passes laws that the High Council of State contests, and the rival administrations issue decrees within their areas of control. Whether a given instrument is law therefore depends on which authority is recognised, which is exactly why this profile is marked as requiring research rather than described as settled. | Bills are examined in committee and plenary and passed by the legislature, then promulgated by the President. The Constitutional Council may be seised before promulgation. | Bills originate with the government or members of either chamber, are examined in committee, and must pass both the National Assembly and the Senate; the Assembly prevails on disagreement. The Haute Cour Constitutionnelle may review a law before promulgation, and organic laws must be referred to it as a matter of course. |
| Legal profession | Advocates are admitted through the Libyan Bar Association, and the profession has continued to function, including in human-rights litigation, despite serious risks to practitioners. Judicial appointments run through the Supreme Judicial Council. Reliable current information on admission requirements and numbers is limited, which is reflected in the verification status of this entry. | Avocats admitted through the Ordre des avocats du Tchad; the profession is concentrated in N'Djamena. | Avocats admitted to the Ordre des avocats de Madagascar after a law degree and professional training, alongside notaires for authenticated instruments and huissiers for service and enforcement — the standard French division of functions. |
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.