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 | GrenadaReviewed | Equatorial GuineaIndexed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Common law | Civil law (Spanish tradition) |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Constitutional monarchy | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama | The Grenada Constitution | Fundamental Law of Equatorial Guinea |
| In force since | 1972 | 1973 | 1991 |
| Capital | Panama City | Saint George's | Malabo |
| Official languages | Spanish | English | Spanish, French, Portuguese |
| Currency | Balboa (US dollar in circulation) (PAB) | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Population | 4,400,000 | 126,000 | 1,700,000 |
| 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. | Unitary. The state comprises Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique; Carriacou and Petite Martinique have a Ministry and local administration but no separate legislature. | Presidential system with a Vice-President and Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of Chamber of Deputies and Senate, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court of Justice. |
| 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 both Houses and receive the Governor-General's assent. Constitutional amendments to entrenched provisions need a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and then approval by a referendum, a double lock that has defeated every reform package put to voters. | Bills pass the Chamber of Deputies and Senate and are promulgated by the President, who may return a text for reconsideration. |
| 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 fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court under the Legal Profession Act, after a law degree and the Legal Education Certificate. The Grenada Bar Association represents practitioners. | Abogados admitted through the Ilustre Colegio de Abogados; practice requires competence in both Spanish codes and French-language OHADA texts. |
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.