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	VanuatuReviewed	KazakhstanReviewed
Legal family	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law	Mixed common, civil and customary law	Civil law
System of government	Semi-presidential republic	Unitary parliamentary republic	Presidential republic
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Namibia	Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu	Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan
In force since	1990	1980	1995
Capital	Windhoek	Port Vila	Astana
Official languages	English	Bislama, English, French	Kazakh, Russian
Currency	Namibian dollar (NAD)	Vanuatu vatu (VUV)	Kazakhstani tenge (KZT)
Population	2,600,000	330,000	20,000,000
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 decentralised administration. Six provinces — Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea and Torba — have councils under the Decentralisation Act with delegated functions. Custom land management is decentralised much further, to area-level Custom Land Tribunals and nakamal-based decision-making under the Custom Land Management Act 2013.	Unitary. Seventeen regions (oblasts) and three cities of republican significance — Astana, Almaty and Shymkent — each headed by an akim appointed by the President. Local representative assemblies (maslikhats) have limited competence. Overlaid on this is the Astana International Financial Centre, a territorially delimited zone with its own court, arbitration centre, regulator and body of law that operates outside the national legal order.
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 are read three times in the single chamber and assented to by the President, who may refer a bill to the Supreme Court if he considers it inconsistent with the Constitution. Ordinary bills need a simple majority of members present, with a quorum of two-thirds. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of all members; if the amendment touches the status of Bislama, English or French, land, or the republican form of the state, it must also be approved at a national referendum.	Bills are introduced in the Mazhilis by deputies or the Government, and must pass the Mazhilis before going to the Senate. If the Senate rejects a bill it returns to the Mazhilis, and a joint commission may be convened. The President may veto, and an override requires two-thirds of each chamber. The President may also declare a bill urgent, requiring consideration within a month, and may issue decrees with the force of law where Parliament has delegated that power. Laws enter force ten days after official publication unless otherwise stated.
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 fused profession regulated by the Legal Practitioners Act: practitioners are admitted by the Chief Justice and licensed by the Law Council. The University of the South Pacific's law school is in Port Vila, so many Pacific lawyers train in Vanuatu. Practitioners may need to work in Bislama, English or French depending on the client and the court file, and the Public Solicitor is a constitutional office rather than a discretionary aid scheme.	Advocates are licensed under the Law on Advocacy and Legal Assistance 2018, which introduced mandatory membership of regional bar collegia coordinated by the Republican Bar Association, and separated advocates from other legal-services providers who must register separately. Entry requires a law degree, an internship and a qualifying examination. Notaries are a distinct licensed profession whose involvement is compulsory for many real-estate and corporate transactions. Practitioners in the AIFC Court are registered separately and may be foreign-qualified.

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.