Comparison

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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	YemenReviewed	MalawiReviewed
Legal family	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law	Mixed (Islamic law and civil law)	English common law with customary law
System of government	Semi-presidential republic	Republic with contested authority	Presidential republic
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Namibia	Constitution of the Republic of Yemen	Constitution of the Republic of Malawi
In force since	1990	1991	1994
Capital	Windhoek	Sana'a (constitutional); Aden (interim seat of government)	Lilongwe
Official languages	English	Arabic	English, Chichewa
Currency	Namibian dollar (NAD)	Yemeni rial (YER)	Malawian kwacha (MWK)
Population	2,600,000	34,400,000	20,900,000
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.	Nominally unitary with twenty-two governorates and appointed governors, and a 2000 local authority law providing for elected local councils. In practice territorial control is divided between rival authorities, and the 2015 draft federal constitution proposing six regions was never adopted.	Unitary with three regions and 28 districts administered by local councils. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over customary land and local dispute resolution.
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.	Under the constitution, bills are passed by the House of Representatives and ratified by the head of state, with publication in the Official Gazette. Since 2014 this process has not operated normally: the recognised government legislates largely by decree from Aden, and the Houthi authorities issue their own instruments in the areas they control. Determining the applicable rule in a given place and period is a factual question, not merely a legal one.	Bills pass three readings in the National Assembly with committee scrutiny and are presented for presidential assent, which must be given or withheld within 21 days. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, and amendments affecting entrenched provisions additionally require a referendum.
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.	Advocates are licensed under the Advocacy Law and organised in the Yemeni Bar Association, which has continued to operate and to make representations about judicial independence throughout the conflict. Judges are trained at the High Judicial Institute and appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council, but appointments made by rival authorities since 2014 are not mutually recognised. Legal aid is minimal and provided mainly by non-governmental organisations.	A fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court after a law degree, regulated by the Malawi Law Society under the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act.

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.