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Comparison of selected legal systems
AttributeParaguayReviewedCanadaReviewedMicronesiaReviewedChadIndexedNamibiaReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawBijural: common law and Quรฉbec civil lawMixed common law with customary lawMixed (French civil law, customary and Islamic law)Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicFederal parliamentary constitutional monarchyFederal republic in free association with the United StatesUnitary presidential republicSemi-presidential republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution Acts, 1867 and 1982Constitution of the Federated States of MicronesiaConstitution of the Republic of ChadConstitution of the Republic of Namibia
In force since19921982197920231990
CapitalAsunciรณnOttawaPalikirN'DjamenaWindhoek
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญEnglish, FrenchEnglish, Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, KosraeanFrench, ArabicEnglish
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Canadian Dollar (CAD)United States dollar (USD)Central African CFA franc (XAF)Namibian dollar (NAD)
Population6,900,00041,200,000115,00018,300,0002,600,000
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.Genuine federalism. The national government holds foreign affairs, defence, immigration, currency and interstate commerce; everything else, including land tenure, is state or local. Each state has its own constitution and supreme court, and Yap's constitution creates Councils of Pilung and Tamol โ€” traditional leaders' councils with power to disapprove state legislation affecting tradition and custom.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 14 administrative regions and elected regional councils, which also constitute the National Council, the upper chamber. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over communal land and customary law.
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 pass Congress and are signed by the President, who has a veto that Congress may override. Because the four at-large senators serve longer terms and are the pool from which the President is drawn, national politics is structured around balancing the states rather than around parties โ€” there are no formal political parties. Constitutional amendments may be proposed by Congress, by a convention, or by popular initiative, and require ratification by three-quarters of the voters in three of the four states.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 the National Assembly through three readings, then go to the National Council for review. The Council may confirm, propose amendments, or object; the Assembly can override an objection by a two-thirds majority. The President then assents, and constitutional amendments require two-thirds of both chambers and may never diminish the rights chapter.
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.Admission is to the FSM Supreme Court, with rules that recognise foreign qualifications, so many practitioners trained in the United States. A distinctive feature is the trial counselor: a non-lawyer licensed to appear in certain courts after examination, which is how most representation is delivered outside the main centres. Practitioners must often hold admission both nationally and in the relevant state.Avocats admitted through the Ordre des avocats du Tchad; the profession is concentrated in N'Djamena.A fused profession under the Legal Practitioners Act: a single class of legal practitioner is admitted after a law degree and the Justice Training Centre's postgraduate course, and the Law Society of Namibia regulates practice.

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.