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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedKenyaReviewedBelgiumReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawMixed (common law, customary law, Islamic law)Civil law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicUnitary presidential republic with devolved countiesFederal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of KenyaConstitution of Belgium
In force since199220101831
CapitalAsunciรณnNairobiBrussels
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญEnglish, SwahiliDutch, French, German
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Kenyan Shilling (KES)Euro (EUR)
Population6,900,00055,100,00011,800,000
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 no Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of National Assembly and Senate, 47 county governments with their own assemblies and executives, and an independent judiciary supervised by the Judicial Service Commission.Federal, alongside three Regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels-Capital) and three Communities (Flemish, French, German-speaking). Regional decrees and community decrees have the same legal force as federal statute within their competences; there is no general federal supremacy clause. The Constitutional Court, not a hierarchy of norms, resolves conflicts of competence.
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 read three times with committee scrutiny and public participation, which the courts treat as a justiciable requirement. Bills concerning counties must pass both chambers. The President assents or refers the bill back with reservations, which Parliament may override by two-thirds.Most federal bills now follow a monocameral procedure in the Chamber of Representatives; the Senate intervenes only in the matters the Constitution reserves to bicameral treatment, such as constitutional revision and the institutional framework. The Council of State Legislation Section gives a prior opinion on drafts. A text is sanctioned and promulgated by the King and enters into force after publication in the Moniteur belge / Belgisch Staatsblad.
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.Fused: an LLB, the Kenya School of Law advocates training programme, and admission by the Chief Justice produce an advocate of the High Court. The Law Society of Kenya is the professional body; Senior Counsel is the senior rank.Advocaten and avocats are admitted to a local bar and organised in two federations, the OVB for Dutch-speaking and AVOCATS.BE for French and German-speaking members. Qualification requires a law degree, a three-year traineeship (stage) under a supervising lawyer, and bar examinations. Notaries and bailiffs are separate regulated professions with numerus clausus appointments.

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.