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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedBrazilReviewedArgentinaReviewedBelizeReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawCivil lawCivil lawCommon law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicFederal presidential republicFederal presidential republicParliamentary constitutional monarchy
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstituiรงรฃo da Repรบblica Federativa do BrasilConstitution of the Argentine NationBelize Constitution
In force since1992198818531981
CapitalAsunciรณnBrasรญliaBuenos AiresBelmopan
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญPortugueseSpanishEnglish, Spanish, Belize Kriol, Q'eqchi', Mopan
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Brazilian Real (BRL)Argentine peso (ARS)Belize dollar (BZD)
Population6,900,000217,000,00046,000,000410,000
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.Presidentialism with a bicameral Congress and an assertive judiciary; the STF hears direct actions of unconstitutionality brought by defined institutional applicants.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.Unitary, with six districts and elected town and village councils. Maya communal land rights in Toledo are recognised through the courts rather than by statute, and implementation is supervised by the CCJ.
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 pass both chambers, with the initiating chamber reviewing amendments; the President may veto in whole or part, and Congress may override in joint session.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.A bill passes three readings in the House of Representatives, then the Senate, and receives the Governor-General's assent. Money bills originate in the House. Constitutional amendments need a two-thirds majority of all House members, and certain entrenched provisions require three-quarters.
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.Law graduates must pass the OAB examination; membership of the Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil is mandatory to practise.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.A fused profession of attorneys-at-law admitted by the High Court under the Legal Profession Act, with the Bar Association of Belize exercising disciplinary functions. Commonwealth qualifications are recognised on application, which keeps a small bar workable.

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.