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| Attribute | LibyaIndexed | GuyanaReviewed | Cape VerdeReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law with Islamic law as a source | Mixed common and civil law | Civil law (Portuguese tradition) |
| System of government | Provisional government with contested authority | Unitary presidential republic | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitutional Declaration (interim) | Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana | Constitution of the Republic of Cabo Verde |
| In force since | 2011 | 1980 | 1992 |
| Capital | Tripoli | Georgetown | Praia |
| Official languages | Arabic | English | Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole |
| Currency | Libyan dinar (LYD) | Guyanese dollar (GYD) | Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE) |
| Population | 6,900,000 | 810,000 | 600,000 |
| 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. | Unitary, with ten regions run by elected Regional Democratic Councils and a Local Government Commission. Indigenous Amerindian communities hold titled village lands under the Amerindian Act 2006 with village councils exercising defined local authority. | Semi-presidential: a directly elected President with limited powers, a Prime Minister accountable to the National Assembly, and an independent judiciary with a separate Constitutional Court. |
| 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 read three times in the National Assembly, considered in committee, and assented to by the President, who may withhold assent and return a bill once. Money bills are the executive's initiative. Ordinary amendment of the Constitution needs two-thirds of all elected members; deeply entrenched articles additionally require approval at a referendum. | Bills are debated in general and in detail by the National Assembly, voted, then sent to the President for promulgation. The President may veto or request prior constitutional review by the Constitutional Court. |
| 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. | A fused profession: an attorney-at-law both advises and appears. Qualification is normally an LLB from the University of Guyana followed by the Legal Education Certificate from a Council of Legal Education school, then admission by the High Court. The Guyana Bar Association represents practitioners while discipline rests with the courts. | Advogados admitted through the Ordem dos Advogados after a law degree and traineeship; notaries and registrars form separate careers on the Portuguese model. |
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.