Comparison
Read two legal systems against each other
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.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | ParaguayReviewed | DenmarkReviewed | MalawiReviewed | CubaReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Civil law (Nordic) | English common law with customary law | Socialist civil law |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Constitutional monarchy | Presidential republic | One-party socialist republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Paraguay | Constitutional Act of Denmark (Grundloven) | Constitution of the Republic of Malawi | Constitución de la República de Cuba |
| In force since | 1992 | 1953 | 1994 | 2019 |
| Capital | Asunción | Copenhagen | Lilongwe | Havana |
| Official languages | Spanish, Guaraní | Danish | English, Chichewa | Spanish |
| Currency | Paraguayan guaraní (PYG) | Danish krone (DKK) | Malawian kwacha (MWK) | Cuban peso (CUP) |
| Population | 6,900,000 | 5,900,000 | 20,900,000 | 11,200,000 |
| Division of powers | Unitary 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. | Parliamentary government in which the cabinet is drawn from and answerable to the Folketing, with an independent unified judiciary. | Unitary with three regions and 28 districts administered by local councils. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over customary land and local dispute resolution. | Unitary, organised on the principle of a single system of state power. The 2019 Constitution and the 2019 territorial reform recognise 15 provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, with provincial governors appointed on the President's nomination. |
| How law is made | Bills 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 three readings in the Folketing and receive royal assent. A minority of members can require certain bills to be put to a referendum. | 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. | Legislative initiative lies with deputies, the Council of State, the Council of Ministers, the courts, the Prosecutor General, mass organisations and 10,000 citizens by popular initiative. The Assembly meets in short ordinary sessions, so much law is made by decree-law of the Council of State and subsequently ratified. Constitutional amendment requires two-thirds of the Assembly, and a referendum for provisions on the political system or rights. |
| Legal profession | A 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 Guaraní are official, courts must provide interpretation, and practitioners outside Asunción are commonly bilingual. | A single advokat profession admitted after a law degree, practical training and a bar course; judges are appointed from experienced lawyers. | 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. | Practising litigators generally work through the Organización Nacional de Bufetes Colectivos, a self-financing national body of collective law offices; independent private practice is not a recognised route. Membership of the Unión Nacional de Juristas de Cuba is the professional association. Notarial functions are performed by state notaries. |
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 — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.