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 | MonacoReviewed | SpainReviewed | Equatorial GuineaIndexed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Civil law | Civil law (Spanish tradition) |
| System of government | Constitutional hereditary monarchy | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Principality of Monaco | Spanish Constitution | Fundamental Law of Equatorial Guinea |
| In force since | 1962 | 1978 | 1991 |
| Capital | Monaco | Madrid | Malabo |
| Official languages | French | Spanish | Spanish, French, Portuguese |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Population | 39,000 | 48,400,000 | 1,700,000 |
| Division of powers | A 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 Suprême acting as both constitutional and supreme administrative court. | 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. | Presidential system with a Vice-President and Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of Chamber of Deputies and Senate, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court of Justice. |
| How law is made | A 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 pass both chambers of the Cortes Generales, with the Congress of Deputies able to override the Senate, and receive royal assent. | Bills pass the Chamber of Deputies and Senate and are promulgated by the President, who may return a text for reconsideration. |
| Legal profession | A small bar of avocats-défenseurs, 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. | Abogados belong to local bar associations (colegios de abogados); procuradores represent parties procedurally and notaries authenticate deeds and company acts. | Abogados admitted through the Ilustre Colegio de Abogados; practice requires competence in both Spanish codes and French-language OHADA texts. |
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.