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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
AttributeMexicoReviewedChadIndexedChileReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawMixed (French civil law, customary and Islamic law)Civil law
System of governmentFederal presidential republicUnitary presidential republicUnitary presidential republic
ConstitutionPolitical Constitution of the United Mexican StatesConstitution of the Republic of ChadPolitical Constitution of the Republic of Chile
In force since191720231980
CapitalMexico CityN'DjamenaSantiago
Official languagesSpanish, Nahuatl, Yucatec MayaFrench, ArabicSpanish
CurrencyMexican peso (MXN)Central African CFA franc (XAF)Chilean peso (CLP)
Population130,000,00018,300,00019,600,000
Division of powersFederal. Powers not expressly granted to the union are reserved to the 32 states (Article 124). States run their own civil, family and criminal-enforcement codes, but criminal procedure, labour and commercial law were federalised to produce single national codes.Presidential system with a Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of National Assembly and Senate under the 2023 text, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court.Unitary. Sixteen regions administer but do not legislate. Regional governors have been directly elected since 2021, which shifted real power away from the centrally appointed delegates, but legislative competence remains exclusively national.
How law is madeBills may be introduced by the President, either chamber, state legislatures or by citizens with 0.13% of the electoral roll. Both chambers must pass an identical text; the President may veto, and Congress overrides with two-thirds of each chamber. Constitutional amendments need two-thirds of Congress plus a majority of state legislatures (Article 135).Bills are examined in committee and plenary and passed by the legislature, then promulgated by the President. The Constitutional Council may be seised before promulgation.Bills originate with the President or in either chamber, though tax, budget and social-security bills are the President's exclusive initiative — an unusually strong executive agenda power. Both chambers must approve; a mixed committee resolves conflict. The President may veto, overridden by two-thirds. Constitutional amendment needs four-sevenths of sitting members, with two-thirds for certain entrenched chapters.
Legal professionA law degree plus a cédula profesional from the Education Ministry licenses practice; there is no compulsory bar examination or single mandatory bar, which distinguishes Mexico from most of the region. Notaries public are a separate, strictly limited state-appointed profession with exclusive competence over real estate and company deeds.Avocats admitted through the Ordre des avocats du Tchad; the profession is concentrated in N'Djamena.A five-year degree, a supervised practice period, and admission by the Supreme Court itself, which is unusual — the Court, not a bar, confers the title of abogado. Membership of the Colegio de Abogados has been voluntary since 1981, so the Court retains disciplinary jurisdiction over misconduct.

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.