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 | MadagascarReviewed | Cape VerdeReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | French civil law with customary law | Civil law (Portuguese tradition) |
| System of government | Semi-presidential republic | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Fourth Republic | Constitution of the Republic of Cabo Verde |
| In force since | 2010 | 1992 |
| Capital | Antananarivo | Praia |
| Official languages | Malagasy, French | Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole |
| Currency | Malagasy ariary (MGA) | Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE) |
| Population | 30,300,000 | 600,000 |
| Division of powers | Unitary with a decentralised structure of 23 regions and communes. Successive constitutions have promised fuller decentralisation, including provincial autonomy, which has not been implemented. | 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 | 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 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 | 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. | 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.