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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedArgentinaReviewedEthiopiaReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawCivil lawCivil law with customary and religious personal status
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicFederal presidential republicFederal parliamentary republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of the Argentine NationConstitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
In force since199218531995
CapitalAsunciรณnBuenos AiresAddis Ababa
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญSpanishAmharic, Afaan Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya, Afar
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Argentine peso (ARS)Ethiopian birr (ETB)
Population6,900,00046,000,000126,500,000
Division of powersUnitary with seventeen departments and the capital district, each with an elected governor and departmental board holding administrative and limited fiscal competence. Legislative power is national.Federal. Twenty-three provinces plus the autonomous City of Buenos Aires retain all powers not delegated to the nation (Article 121). Substantive civil, commercial, criminal and labour law is federal and uniform, but each province legislates its own procedure and runs its own judiciary โ€” an inversion of the United States allocation.Federal, with regional states and two chartered cities, Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. Regions have their own constitutions, legislatures, executives and court systems, and residual power lies with them rather than the federation. Regional courts exercise delegated federal jurisdiction in areas where federal first-instance courts have not been established, so the two systems interlock in practice.
How law is madeBills may start in either chamber and must pass both. The President may object in whole or part; Congress overcomes an objection by absolute majority in both chambers. Constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote of each chamber and ratification by referendum; wholesale reform requires a constituent assembly.Bills may be introduced in either chamber, by the executive, or by citizen initiative. One chamber acts as chamber of origin and the other as revising chamber; insistence rules resolve disagreement. The President may veto in whole or in part, and Congress overrides with two-thirds of both chambers. Necessity-and-urgency decrees are permitted but excluded from criminal, tax, electoral and party matters, and must pass a bicameral committee.Bills are introduced by the Council of Ministers or by members of the House of Peoples' Representatives, examined in standing committee, and passed by simple majority. The House of Federation does not participate in ordinary legislation โ€” its functions are constitutional interpretation, approving state-of-emergency declarations affecting rights, and deciding questions about nations and nationalities. Proclamations take effect on publication in the Federal Negarit Gazeta, which is the authoritative text.
Legal professionA law degree and registration of the title with the Supreme Court, which maintains the roll and exercises discipline. Bar membership is voluntary. Because both Spanish and Guaranรญ are official, courts must provide interpretation, and practitioners outside Asunciรณn are commonly bilingual.A five-to-six-year law degree followed by mandatory registration with a provincial or city bar association, which holds disciplinary power. The Colegio Pรบblico de Abogados de la Capital Federal governs practice in Buenos Aires. There is no separate bar examination; enrolment follows the degree. Notaries (escribanos) are a distinct numerus clausus profession with exclusive competence over real estate transfers.Advocates are licensed federally by the Federal Attorney General's office or regionally by justice bureaux, with the licence determining which courts they may appear before โ€” a federal licence is required for the federal courts. The Ethiopian Federal Advocates Association represents the profession. Judges are appointed on the nomination of the Judicial Administration Council and approved by parliament; law graduates from the university faculties supply both bench and bar.

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 โ€” the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.