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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedBahrainReviewedNauruReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawMixed (civil law and Islamic law)Common law with customary law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicUnitary constitutional monarchyParliamentary republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of the Kingdom of BahrainConstitution of Nauru
In force since199220021968
CapitalAsunciรณnManamaYaren (seat of government)
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญArabicNauruan, English
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Bahraini dinar (BHD)Australian dollar (AUD)
Population6,900,0001,500,00012,500
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.Unitary. Four governorates administered centrally; elected municipal councils were abolished as a tier in 2014 and their functions transferred to the governorates.Unitary and highly centralised โ€” Nauru has no second tier of general government. The Nauru Island Council was abolished in 1999, so the state deals directly with citizens, though the 14 districts remain the basis for parliamentary constituencies and the twelve tribes retain social significance in land and title questions.
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 require passage by both chambers. Where they disagree, a joint sitting decides by majority with the Speaker of the appointed Consultative Council presiding and casting the deciding vote, which structurally favours the appointed chamber. The King ratifies and promulgates; a returned bill requires a two-thirds majority of the joint Assembly to be re-enacted. Decree-laws may be issued between sessions and must be submitted to the Assembly afterwards.Bills receive three readings in the 19-member chamber and are assented to by the President. Ordinary legislation needs a simple majority, but the entrenched provisions of Part XI require a two-thirds majority and, for the most protected articles, approval at a referendum โ€” the barrier that defeated the 2010 reform proposals.
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.Advocates are licensed by the Ministry of Justice; Bahraini nationality is required for rights of audience before the higher courts, and foreign firms practise in association with local counsel. Bahrain is unusual in the region for the number of foreign firms permitted to advise, reflecting its role as a financial centre. Judges are appointed by royal order on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council, and notarial authentication is required for property transfers and powers of attorney.A very small fused profession admitted by the Supreme Court under the Legal Practitioners Act 1973, supplemented by pleaders โ€” non-lawyers licensed to appear in the District Court and before the Lands Committee, a practical necessity given the number of resident lawyers. Judicial officers are frequently appointed from Australia, New Zealand or elsewhere in the Pacific.

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.