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.

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Comparison of selected legal systems
Attribute	ParaguayReviewed	LesothoReviewed	EswatiniReviewed	NamibiaReviewed
Legal family	Civil law	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law	Mixed Roman-Dutch, English common law and Swazi customary law	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law
System of government	Unitary presidential republic	Parliamentary constitutional monarchy	Absolute monarchy	Semi-presidential republic
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Paraguay	Constitution of Lesotho	Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini	Constitution of the Republic of Namibia
In force since	1992	1993	2005	1990
Capital	Asunción	Maseru	Mbabane	Windhoek
Official languages	Spanish, Guaraní	Sesotho, English	siSwati, English	English
Currency	Paraguayan guaraní (PYG)	Lesotho loti (LSL)	Swazi lilangeni (SZL)	Namibian dollar (NAD)
Population	6,900,000	2,300,000	1,200,000	2,600,000
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 with ten districts, and a recognised hierarchy of chiefs exercising customary functions over land allocation and local dispute resolution. The Senate includes the twenty-two principal chiefs ex officio.	Unitary with four regions and 55 tinkhundla constituencies that combine electoral and administrative functions. Chiefs administer Swazi Nation Land under the King as trustee.	Unitary with 14 administrative regions and elected regional councils, which also constitute the National Council, the upper chamber. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over communal land and customary law.
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 National Assembly, go to the Senate for review, and receive royal assent. The Senate can delay but not indefinitely block ordinary bills. Amendments to entrenched constitutional provisions require a two-thirds majority and, for the most protected clauses, a referendum.	Bills pass the House of Assembly and Senate and require royal assent, which the King may withhold. The King may also legislate by decree in defined circumstances, and bills touching Swazi law and custom are referred to traditional structures. Constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority of both chambers sitting jointly, and for entrenched provisions a referendum.	Bills pass the National Assembly through three readings, then go to the National Council for review. The Council may confirm, propose amendments, or object; the Assembly can override an objection by a two-thirds majority. The President then assents, and constitutional amendments require two-thirds of both chambers and may never diminish the rights chapter.
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 split profession in form — advocates and attorneys are separately admitted under the Legal Practitioners Act — though in practice many practitioners hold both admissions; the Law Society of Lesotho regulates the attorneys' branch.	A fused profession of attorneys admitted by the High Court after a law degree and articles, regulated by the Law Society of Eswatini; advocates may be admitted separately for higher-court work.	A fused profession under the Legal Practitioners Act: a single class of legal practitioner is admitted after a law degree and the Justice Training Centre's postgraduate course, and the Law Society of Namibia regulates practice.

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.