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
Attribute	NamibiaReviewed	LesothoReviewed	Sri LankaReviewed
Legal family	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law	Mixed civil, common and customary law
System of government	Semi-presidential republic	Parliamentary constitutional monarchy	Semi-presidential republic
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Namibia	Constitution of Lesotho	Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
In force since	1990	1993	1978
Capital	Windhoek	Maseru	Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Official languages	English	Sesotho, English	Sinhala, Tamil, English
Currency	Namibian dollar (NAD)	Lesotho loti (LSL)	Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Population	2,600,000	2,300,000	22,200,000
Division of powers	Unitary with 14 administrative regions and elected regional councils, which also constitute the National Council, the upper chamber. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over communal land and customary law.	Unitary with ten districts, and a recognised hierarchy of chiefs exercising customary functions over land allocation and local dispute resolution. The Senate includes the twenty-two principal chiefs ex officio.	Unitary with a devolved provincial layer created by the Thirteenth Amendment of 1987, which established nine provincial councils with legislative competence over a devolved list. Devolution has been contested and uneven; provincial councils have operated without elections since 2018, and the Northern and Eastern provinces' status was central to the conflict that ended in 2009.
How law is made	Bills pass the National Assembly through three readings, then go to the National Council for review. The Council may confirm, propose amendments, or object; the Assembly can override an objection by a two-thirds majority. The President then assents, and constitutional amendments require two-thirds of both chambers and may never diminish the rights chapter.	Bills pass three readings in the National Assembly, go to the Senate for review, and receive royal assent. The Senate can delay but not indefinitely block ordinary bills. Amendments to entrenched constitutional provisions require a two-thirds majority and, for the most protected clauses, a referendum.	Bills are published in the Gazette at least seven days before first reading, which is the trigger for the one-week window to petition the Supreme Court. A bill inconsistent with the Constitution needs a two-thirds majority, and in some cases a referendum. After enactment the Speaker's certificate is conclusive and the Act is immune from challenge.
Legal profession	A fused profession under the Legal Practitioners Act: a single class of legal practitioner is admitted after a law degree and the Justice Training Centre's postgraduate course, and the Law Society of Namibia regulates practice.	A split profession in form — advocates and attorneys are separately admitted under the Legal Practitioners Act — though in practice many practitioners hold both admissions; the Law Society of Lesotho regulates the attorneys' branch.	A single fused profession: attorneys-at-law are admitted and enrolled by the Supreme Court after the Sri Lanka Law College course and examinations, or a recognised law degree plus the final examination. The historic split between advocates and proctors was abolished in 1974. President's Counsel is a distinction conferred by the President. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka represents the profession, and attorneys have rights of audience in all courts from admission.

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.