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 | GrenadaReviewed | Sri LankaReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Common law | Mixed civil, common and customary law |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Constitutional monarchy | Semi-presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Paraguay | The Grenada Constitution | Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka |
| In force since | 1992 | 1973 | 1978 |
| Capital | Asunciรณn | Saint George's | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte |
| Official languages | Spanish, Guaranรญ | English | Sinhala, Tamil, English |
| Currency | Paraguayan guaranรญ (PYG) | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) |
| Population | 6,900,000 | 126,000 | 22,200,000 |
| 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. | Unitary. The state comprises Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique; Carriacou and Petite Martinique have a Ministry and local administration but no separate legislature. | Unitary with a devolved provincial layer created by the Thirteenth Amendment of 1987, which established nine provincial councils with legislative competence over a devolved list. Devolution has been contested and uneven; provincial councils have operated without elections since 2018, and the Northern and Eastern provinces' status was central to the conflict that ended in 2009. |
| 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 both Houses and receive the Governor-General's assent. Constitutional amendments to entrenched provisions need a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and then approval by a referendum, a double lock that has defeated every reform package put to voters. | Bills are published in the Gazette at least seven days before first reading, which is the trigger for the one-week window to petition the Supreme Court. A bill inconsistent with the Constitution needs a two-thirds majority, and in some cases a referendum. After enactment the Speaker's certificate is conclusive and the Act is immune from challenge. |
| 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 Guaranรญ are official, courts must provide interpretation, and practitioners outside Asunciรณn are commonly bilingual. | A fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court under the Legal Profession Act, after a law degree and the Legal Education Certificate. The Grenada Bar Association represents practitioners. | A single fused profession: attorneys-at-law are admitted and enrolled by the Supreme Court after the Sri Lanka Law College course and examinations, or a recognised law degree plus the final examination. The historic split between advocates and proctors was abolished in 1974. President's Counsel is a distinction conferred by the President. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka represents the profession, and attorneys have rights of audience in all courts from admission. |
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.