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	UruguayReviewed	LithuaniaReviewed	MadagascarReviewed
Legal family	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law	Civil law	Civil law	French civil law with customary law
System of government	Semi-presidential republic	Unitary presidential republic	Unitary semi-presidential republic	Semi-presidential republic
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Namibia	Constitution of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay	Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania	Constitution of the Fourth Republic
In force since	1990	1967	1992	2010
Capital	Windhoek	Montevideo	Vilnius	Antananarivo
Official languages	English	Spanish	Lithuanian	Malagasy, French
Currency	Namibian dollar (NAD)	Uruguayan peso (UYU)	Euro (EUR)	Malagasy ariary (MGA)
Population	2,600,000	3,400,000	2,860,000	30,300,000
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. Nineteen departments have elected intendentes and juntas with administrative and local taxing competence, and municipalities were added in 2010, but all legislative power belongs to the General Assembly.	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 a decentralised structure of 23 regions and communes. Successive constitutions have promised fuller decentralisation, including provincial autonomy, which has not been implemented.
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 both chambers; disagreement is resolved by the General Assembly sitting jointly. The executive may veto, overcome by three-fifths of the joint assembly. Distinctively, 25% of registered voters can force a referendum to repeal a statute within one year of promulgation, and 10% can initiate a constitutional plebiscite.	Bills are adopted by the Seimas and signed by the President, who may veto and return a bill for reconsideration.	Bills originate with the government or members of either chamber, are examined in committee, and must pass both the National Assembly and the Senate; the Assembly prevails on disagreement. The Haute Cour Constitutionnelle may review a law before promulgation, and organic laws must be referred to it as a matter of course.
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 degree from the Universidad de la República or an accredited private faculty confers the title of abogado, with registration by the Supreme Court. Membership of the Colegio de Abogados del Uruguay is voluntary; the Supreme Court exercises discipline. Escribanos públicos are a separate profession with exclusive competence over conveyancing.	Advocates belong to the Lithuanian Bar Association; notaries handle property, company and succession formalities.	Avocats admitted to the Ordre des avocats de Madagascar after a law degree and professional training, alongside notaires for authenticated instruments and huissiers for service and enforcement — the standard French division of functions.

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.