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.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | MadagascarReviewed | GrenadaReviewed | BrazilReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | French civil law with customary law | Common law | Civil law |
| System of government | Semi-presidential republic | Constitutional monarchy | Federal presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Fourth Republic | The Grenada Constitution | Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil |
| In force since | 2010 | 1973 | 1988 |
| Capital | Antananarivo | Saint George's | Brasília |
| Official languages | Malagasy, French | English | Portuguese |
| Currency | Malagasy ariary (MGA) | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | Brazilian Real (BRL) |
| Population | 30,300,000 | 126,000 | 217,000,000 |
| 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. | Unitary. The state comprises Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique; Carriacou and Petite Martinique have a Ministry and local administration but no separate legislature. | Presidentialism with a bicameral Congress and an assertive judiciary; the STF hears direct actions of unconstitutionality brought by defined institutional applicants. |
| 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 pass three readings in both Houses and receive the Governor-General's assent. Constitutional amendments to entrenched provisions need a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and then approval by a referendum, a double lock that has defeated every reform package put to voters. | Bills pass both chambers, with the initiating chamber reviewing amendments; the President may veto in whole or part, and Congress may override in joint session. |
| 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. | A fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court under the Legal Profession Act, after a law degree and the Legal Education Certificate. The Grenada Bar Association represents practitioners. | Law graduates must pass the OAB examination; membership of the Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil is mandatory to practise. |
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.