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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedGuineaIndexedUruguayReviewedFijiReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawCivil law (French tradition)Civil lawCommon law with customary law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicRepublic under transitional military-led governmentUnitary presidential republicUnitary parliamentary republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of GuineaConstitution of the Oriental Republic of UruguayConstitution of the Republic of Fiji
In force since1992202519672013
CapitalAsunciรณnConakryMontevideoSuva
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญFrench, Pular, Maninka, SusuSpanishEnglish, Fijian, Fiji Hindi
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Guinean Franc (GNF)Uruguayan peso (UYU)Fijian dollar (FJD)
Population6,900,00014,200,0003,400,000930,000
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.Transitional arrangements have concentrated authority in the CNRD and an appointed government; the 2025 constitution provides for a presidential system with a legislature.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.Unitary and deliberately centralised. Section 1 declares Fiji a sovereign state whose Parliament legislates for the whole country; there are no provinces with legislative power. The 14 provincial councils and the iTaukei Affairs Board administer indigenous affairs under the iTaukei Affairs Act. Rotuma has a distinct status under the Rotuma Act.
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.Transitional texts have been adopted by the Conseil national de la transition or issued as ordinances; the 2025 constitution provides for ordinary legislative passage and promulgation.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.Bills are introduced in the unicameral Parliament, referred to a standing committee, and pass through second reading, committee and third reading before assent by the President. There is no upper house. A constitutional amendment requires the support of three-quarters of all members of Parliament and then approval by three-quarters of registered voters at a referendum, a threshold that has never been met.
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 Barreau de Guinรฉe after a law degree and traineeship; notaires and huissiers are separate offices.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 fused profession under the Legal Practitioners Act 2009: practitioners are admitted by the Chief Justice as barristers and solicitors. Most qualify through the University of the South Pacific law degree followed by the Professional Diploma in Legal Practice. Admission and discipline are handled by the Chief Registrar and the Independent Legal Services Commission rather than by the Fiji Law Society, which is a voluntary professional body.

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.