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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.

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Comparison of selected legal systems
AttributeMonacoReviewedLithuaniaReviewedArmeniaReviewed
Legal familyIdenticalCivil lawCivil lawCivil law
System of governmentConstitutional hereditary monarchyUnitary semi-presidential republicUnitary parliamentary republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Principality of MonacoConstitution of the Republic of LithuaniaConstitution of the Republic of Armenia
In force since196219921995
CapitalMonacoVilniusYerevan
Official languagesFrenchLithuanianArmenian
CurrencyEuro (EUR)Euro (EUR)Dram (AMD)
Population39,0002,860,0002,800,000
Division of powersA unitary state of about two square kilometres with a single commune. Legislative power is exercised jointly by the Prince and the National Council; executive power belongs to the Prince, exercised through the Minister of State and the Government Council; judicial power is delegated by the Prince to the courts, with the Tribunal Suprรชme acting as both constitutional and supreme administrative court.Semi-presidential government with a directly elected President focused on foreign and security policy, a Government answerable to the Seimas, and a separate Constitutional Court.Unitary, with ten provinces headed by centrally appointed governors and Yerevan as a separate community with an elected council. Local self-government is guaranteed constitutionally and has been consolidated through mergers of small communities.
How law is madeA bill may be initiated by the Prince or proposed by the National Council. Government bills are laid before the Council, examined in committee and voted; adoption requires the agreement of both the Prince and the Council. The Prince then promulgates the law by sovereign ordinance and it is published in the Journal de Monaco.Bills are adopted by the Seimas and signed by the President, who may veto and return a bill for reconsideration.Bills are introduced by the Government, deputies or a citizens' initiative of 50,000 voters, and pass two readings in the National Assembly. Constitutional laws need three-fifths of the total membership. The President signs and publishes within 21 days, or may return a law once to the Assembly, or refer it to the Constitutional Court. Government bills may be designated urgent, compressing the timetable.
Legal professionA small bar of avocats-dรฉfenseurs, avocats and avocats stagiaires, organised as the Ordre des Avocats, with admission requiring Monegasque nationality preference, a law degree and a traineeship. French avocats may appear in specified circumstances. Notaries are appointed by sovereign ordinance and are few in number.Advocates belong to the Lithuanian Bar Association; notaries handle property, company and succession formalities.Advocates are licensed by the Chamber of Advocates after the qualifying examination and the School of Advocates course, and hold a monopoly on criminal defence. Public defenders sit within the Chamber rather than a separate agency, which is unusual and makes the Chamber the main legal aid provider. Notaries are licensed by the Ministry of Justice and their authentication is required for property transactions, powers of attorney and many corporate 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 โ€” the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.