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 | MalawiReviewed | NigerIndexed | BotswanaReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | English common law with customary law | Civil law (French tradition) | Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law |
| System of government | Presidential republic | Republic under military-led government | Parliamentary republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Malawi | Constitution of the Seventh Republic (suspended) | Constitution of Botswana |
| In force since | 1994 | 2010 | 1966 |
| Capital | Lilongwe | Niamey | Gaborone |
| Official languages | English, Chichewa | French, Hausa, Zarma | English, Setswana |
| Currency | Malawian kwacha (MWK) | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Botswana pula (BWP) |
| Population | 20,900,000 | 26,200,000 | 2,680,000 |
| 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. | Under the suspended constitution, a semi-presidential system with a President, Prime Minister and National Assembly. Currently executive and legislative authority is concentrated in the CNSP and an appointed government. | Unitary. Districts and sub-districts administer central policy, and the House of Chiefs (Ntlo ya Dikgosi) is an advisory chamber that must be consulted on bills affecting customary law, tribal organisation and tribal property. |
| 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. | Legislation is currently made by order of the governing authority and published in the Journal Officiel. The suspended constitution provided for ordinary parliamentary passage and presidential promulgation. | Bills are introduced in the National Assembly, take three readings with committee scrutiny between the second and third, and go to the President for assent. Bills affecting customary law, tribal property or the organisation of the tribes must first be referred to the Ntlo ya Dikgosi for its opinion, though that opinion does not bind the Assembly. |
| 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. | Avocats admitted through the Barreau du Niger after a law degree and traineeship; notaires and huissiers are separate offices. | A fused profession of attorneys admitted by the High Court after a recognised law degree and articles of pupillage; there is no split between advocates and attorneys, and the Law Society of Botswana regulates practice. |
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.