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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedChadIndexedEcuadorReviewedUruguayReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawMixed (French civil law, customary and Islamic law)Civil lawCivil law
System of governmentIdenticalUnitary presidential republicUnitary presidential republicUnitary presidential republicUnitary presidential republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of the Republic of ChadConstitution of the Republic of EcuadorConstitution of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
In force since1992202320081967
CapitalAsunciรณnN'DjamenaQuitoMontevideo
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญFrench, ArabicSpanish, Quechua, ShuarSpanish
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Central African CFA franc (XAF)United States dollar (USD)Uruguayan peso (UYU)
Population6,900,00018,300,00018,200,0003,400,000
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.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 and decentralised, with twenty-four provinces and autonomous decentralised governments at provincial, cantonal and parish level. Indigenous authorities exercise their own jurisdiction under Article 171, subject to constitutional review.Unitary. Nineteen departments have elected intendentes and juntas with administrative and local taxing competence, and municipalities were added in 2010, but all legislative power belongs to the General Assembly.
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 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 go to the Assembly from members, the President, the Court, citizens or autonomous governments, and need two debates. The President may fully or partially object; a full objection can only be overcome after a year or by a two-thirds vote. Urgent economic bills become law by decree if the Assembly fails to act in thirty days. Amendment routes differ by depth, from Assembly vote to constituent assembly.Bills pass both chambers; disagreement is resolved by the General Assembly sitting jointly. The executive may veto, overcome by three-fifths of the joint assembly. Distinctively, 25% of registered voters can force a referendum to repeal a statute within one year of promulgation, and 10% can initiate a constitutional plebiscite.
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.Avocats admitted through the Ordre des avocats du Tchad; the profession is concentrated in N'Djamena.A law degree plus registration in the Forense registry of the Consejo de la Judicatura, and usually membership of a provincial colegio de abogados. The Judicature Council holds disciplinary power. Public defence is provided by the Defensorรญa Pรบblica, a separate autonomous body.A degree from the Universidad de la Repรบblica or an accredited private faculty confers the title of abogado, with registration by the Supreme Court. Membership of the Colegio de Abogados del Uruguay is voluntary; the Supreme Court exercises discipline. Escribanos pรบblicos are a separate profession with exclusive competence over conveyancing.

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.