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 | MalaysiaReviewed | UgandaReviewed | SpainReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Mixed common law and Islamic law | Mixed (common law and customary law) | Civil law |
| System of government | Federal constitutional monarchy | Unitary presidential republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Constitution | Federal Constitution of Malaysia | Constitution of the Republic of Uganda | Spanish Constitution |
| In force since | 1957 | 1995 | 1978 |
| Capital | Kuala Lumpur | Kampala | Madrid |
| Official languages | Malay, English | English, Swahili, Luganda | Spanish |
| Currency | Malaysian ringgit (MYR) | Ugandan Shilling (UGX) | Euro (EUR) |
| Population | 34,100,000 | 48,600,000 | 48,400,000 |
| Division of powers | Federal, with 13 states and three federal territories. The Ninth Schedule sets out Federal, State and Concurrent Lists: land, Islamic law, Malay custom and local government are state matters, while trade, finance, defence and civil and criminal law are federal. Sabah and Sarawak hold additional competences — immigration, native customary land, and their own High Court — reflecting the terms on which they joined. | Presidential system with a Prime Minister, a unicameral Parliament, and a judiciary in which the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal (sitting also as the Constitutional Court) and High Court form the superior courts. | A constitutional monarchy with the King as head of state, an executive led by the President of the Government, a bicameral parliament and an independent judiciary, overlaid by extensive regional self-government. |
| How law is made | Bills pass both houses; the Dewan Negara can delay but not block, and money bills originate in the Dewan Rakyat. Royal assent is required and, since a 1994 amendment, is deemed given after 30 days if withheld. Amendments affecting the rulers, the special position of the Malays, citizenship or the position of Sabah and Sarawak require additional consents beyond the two-thirds majority. | Bills receive three readings with committee scrutiny; certificates of financial implication are required for money bills. The President assents, returns the bill twice with recommendations, or it becomes law if passed a third time by two-thirds. | Bills pass both chambers of the Cortes Generales, with the Congress of Deputies able to override the Senate, and receive royal assent. |
| Legal profession | A fused profession of advocates and solicitors, but regulated separately by territory: the Malaysian Bar under the Legal Profession Act 1976 for Peninsular Malaysia, the Sabah Law Society, and the Advocates Association of Sarawak. Admission requires a recognised law degree or the Certificate in Legal Practice, pupillage of nine months, and admission by the High Court. Syariah practitioners are separately admitted by state Syariah authorities and require Syariah law qualifications. | Fused; an LLB, the Law Development Centre post-graduate diploma and enrolment admit an advocate. The Uganda Law Society is the professional body. | Abogados belong to local bar associations (colegios de abogados); procuradores represent parties procedurally and notaries authenticate deeds and company acts. |
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.