Comparison

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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
Attribute	LibyaIndexed	MadagascarReviewed	EthiopiaReviewed
Legal family	Civil law with Islamic law as a source	French civil law with customary law	Civil law with customary and religious personal status
System of government	Provisional government with contested authority	Semi-presidential republic	Federal parliamentary republic
Constitution	Constitutional Declaration (interim)	Constitution of the Fourth Republic	Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
In force since	2011	2010	1995
Capital	Tripoli	Antananarivo	Addis Ababa
Official languages	Arabic	Malagasy, French	Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya, Afar
Currency	Libyan dinar (LYD)	Malagasy ariary (MGA)	Ethiopian birr (ETB)
Population	6,900,000	30,300,000	126,500,000
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.	Federal, with regional states and two chartered cities, Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. Regions have their own constitutions, legislatures, executives and court systems, and residual power lies with them rather than the federation. Regional courts exercise delegated federal jurisdiction in areas where federal first-instance courts have not been established, so the two systems interlock in practice.
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 introduced by the Council of Ministers or by members of the House of Peoples' Representatives, examined in standing committee, and passed by simple majority. The House of Federation does not participate in ordinary legislation — its functions are constitutional interpretation, approving state-of-emergency declarations affecting rights, and deciding questions about nations and nationalities. Proclamations take effect on publication in the Federal Negarit Gazeta, which is the authoritative text.
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.	Advocates are licensed federally by the Federal Attorney General's office or regionally by justice bureaux, with the licence determining which courts they may appear before — a federal licence is required for the federal courts. The Ethiopian Federal Advocates Association represents the profession. Judges are appointed on the nomination of the Judicial Administration Council and approved by parliament; law graduates from the university faculties supply both bench and bar.

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.