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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedCanadaReviewedChadIndexedMalawiReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawBijural: common law and Quรฉbec civil lawMixed (French civil law, customary and Islamic law)English common law with customary law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicFederal parliamentary constitutional monarchyUnitary presidential republicPresidential republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution Acts, 1867 and 1982Constitution of the Republic of ChadConstitution of the Republic of Malawi
In force since1992198220231994
CapitalAsunciรณnOttawaN'DjamenaLilongwe
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญEnglish, FrenchFrench, ArabicEnglish, Chichewa
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Canadian Dollar (CAD)Central African CFA franc (XAF)Malawian kwacha (MWK)
Population6,900,00041,200,00018,300,00020,900,000
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.Sections 91 and 92 divide federal and provincial competence. Section 33 allows a legislature to override certain Charter rights for renewable five-year periods.Presidential system with a Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of National Assembly and Senate under the 2023 text, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court.Unitary with three regions and 28 districts administered by local councils. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over customary land and local dispute resolution.
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.Three readings plus committee study in each chamber, then Royal Assent. Money bills must originate in the Commons.Bills are examined in committee and plenary and passed by the legislature, then promulgated by the President. The Constitutional Council may be seised before promulgation.Bills pass three readings in the National Assembly with committee scrutiny and are presented for presidential assent, which must be given or withheld within 21 days. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, and amendments affecting entrenched provisions additionally require a referendum.
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.Provincial law societies regulate admission: an accredited degree, articles, and bar admission courses. Quรฉbec has separate avocat and notaire professions.Avocats admitted through the Ordre des avocats du Tchad; the profession is concentrated in N'Djamena.A fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court after a law degree, regulated by the Malawi Law Society under the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act.

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.