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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
AttributeMexicoReviewedGrenadaReviewedHoly See (Vatican City)Reviewed
Legal familyCivil lawCommon lawCanon law and civil law
System of governmentFederal presidential republicConstitutional monarchyEcclesiastical elective absolute monarchy
ConstitutionPolitical Constitution of the United Mexican StatesThe Grenada ConstitutionFundamental Law of Vatican City State
In force since191719732023
CapitalMexico CitySaint George'sVatican City
Official languagesSpanish, Nahuatl, Yucatec MayaEnglishItalian, Latin
CurrencyMexican peso (MXN)East Caribbean dollar (XCD)Euro (EUR)
Population130,000,000126,000800
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.Unitary. The state comprises Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique; Carriacou and Petite Martinique have a Ministry and local administration but no separate legislature.Power is concentrated in the Supreme Pontiff, exercised through the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (legislative), the Governorate (executive) and the Vatican tribunals (judicial).
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 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.Laws are prepared by the Pontifical Commission and take effect with the Pope’s approval, published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis supplement.
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.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.Advocates are enrolled with the Vatican tribunals; canon lawyers (canonists) practise before ecclesiastical courts.

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.