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	MalawiReviewed	NamibiaReviewed	EgyptReviewed
Legal family	English common law with customary law	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law	Civil law with Islamic law as principal source
System of government	Presidential republic	Semi-presidential republic	Semi-presidential republic
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Malawi	Constitution of the Republic of Namibia	Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt
In force since	1994	1990	2014
Capital	Lilongwe	Windhoek	Cairo
Official languages	English, Chichewa	English	Arabic
Currency	Malawian kwacha (MWK)	Namibian dollar (NAD)	Egyptian pound (EGP)
Population	20,900,000	2,600,000	105,000,000
Division of powers	Unitary with three regions and 28 districts administered by local councils. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over customary land and local dispute resolution.	Unitary with 14 administrative regions and elected regional councils, which also constitute the National Council, the upper chamber. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over communal land and customary law.	Unitary, with 27 governorates headed by governors appointed by the President. There is no legislative devolution — governorates administer central policy, and local popular councils have been without elections for over a decade.
How law is made	Bills pass three readings in the National Assembly with committee scrutiny and are presented for presidential assent, which must be given or withheld within 21 days. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, and amendments affecting entrenched provisions additionally require a referendum.	Bills pass the National Assembly through three readings, then go to the National Council for review. The Council may confirm, propose amendments, or object; the Assembly can override an objection by a two-thirds majority. The President then assents, and constitutional amendments require two-thirds of both chambers and may never diminish the rights chapter.	Bills originate with the government, the President or members of the House of Representatives. They are examined in committee and passed by the House; the President may return a bill once, which the House can override by a two-thirds majority. Where the House is not in session the President may issue decree-laws that have the force of law but lapse unless ratified at the next session. Bills touching the judiciary must be put to the relevant judicial body for its opinion first.
Legal profession	A fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court after a law degree, regulated by the Malawi Law Society under the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act.	A fused profession under the Legal Practitioners Act: a single class of legal practitioner is admitted after a law degree and the Justice Training Centre's postgraduate course, and the Law Society of Namibia regulates practice.	A single fused profession of advocates enrolled with the Egyptian Bar Association, with rights of audience tiered by seniority — appearance before the Court of Cassation requires years of practice and separate admission. Judges are career appointments recruited largely from the prosecution service and trained through the National Centre for Judicial Studies; the Council of State maintains a separate judicial career for administrative judges.

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.