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 | MadagascarReviewed | BurundiIndexed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law with Islamic law as a source | French civil law with customary law | Civil law (Belgian tradition) |
| System of government | Provisional government with contested authority | Semi-presidential republic | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitutional Declaration (interim) | Constitution of the Fourth Republic | Constitution of the Republic of Burundi |
| In force since | 2011 | 2010 | 2018 |
| Capital | Tripoli | Antananarivo | Gitega |
| Official languages | Arabic | Malagasy, French | Kirundi, French, English |
| Currency | Libyan dinar (LYD) | Malagasy ariary (MGA) | Burundian Franc (BIF) |
| Population | 6,900,000 | 30,300,000 | 13,200,000 |
| 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 a decentralised structure of 23 regions and communes. Successive constitutions have promised fuller decentralisation, including provincial autonomy, which has not been implemented. | Presidential system with a Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of National Assembly and Senate with ethnic and gender quotas, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court 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 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. | Bills are examined in committee and plenary in both chambers; certain organic laws require reinforced majorities reflecting the ethnic balance provisions. The President promulgates. |
| 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 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. | Avocats admitted through the Ordre des avocats du Burundi after a law degree and traineeship; the profession is concentrated in Bujumbura. |
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.