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 | PanamaReviewed | DenmarkReviewed | MadagascarReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Civil law (Nordic) | French civil law with customary law |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Constitutional monarchy | Semi-presidential republic |
| Constitution | Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama | Constitutional Act of Denmark (Grundloven) | Constitution of the Fourth Republic |
| In force since | 1972 | 1953 | 2010 |
| Capital | Panama City | Copenhagen | Antananarivo |
| Official languages | Spanish | Danish | Malagasy, French |
| Currency | Balboa (US dollar in circulation) (PAB) | Danish krone (DKK) | Malagasy ariary (MGA) |
| Population | 4,400,000 | 5,900,000 | 30,300,000 |
| Division of powers | Unitary, with ten provinces and five indigenous comarcas. The comarcas — Guna Yala, Emberá-Wounaan, Ngäbe-Buglé, Guna de Madugandí and Guna de Wargandí — hold recognised collective land title and internal authority. | Parliamentary government in which the cabinet is drawn from and answerable to the Folketing, with an independent unified judiciary. | 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 receive three debates in the National Assembly. The President may object in whole or in part; the Assembly insists with a two-thirds vote, after which the President must promulgate unless the objection was constitutional, in which case the Supreme Court decides. | Bills pass three readings in the Folketing and receive royal assent. A minority of members can require certain bills to be put to a referendum. | 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 | Practice requires a Panamanian law degree and a licence from the Supreme Court; the Colegio Nacional de Abogados is influential but membership is voluntary. Only Panamanian lawyers may appear in court, which is why offshore work is routinely structured through local counsel. | A single advokat profession admitted after a law degree, practical training and a bar course; judges are appointed from experienced lawyers. | 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.