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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedLesothoReviewedKenyaReviewedNepalReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawMixed Roman-Dutch and English common lawMixed (common law, customary law, Islamic law)Mixed common law and Hindu customary tradition
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicParliamentary constitutional monarchyUnitary presidential republic with devolved countiesFederal parliamentary republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of LesothoConstitution of KenyaConstitution of Nepal
In force since1992199320102015
CapitalAsunciรณnMaseruNairobiKathmandu
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญSesotho, EnglishEnglish, SwahiliNepali
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Lesotho loti (LSL)Kenyan Shilling (KES)Nepalese rupee (NPR)
Population6,900,0002,300,00055,100,00030,500,000
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.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.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 with three tiers: one federal government, seven provinces and 753 local units, each with its own elected assembly and schedule of exclusive powers. This is a genuine constitutional division rather than delegation โ€” local units have taxing and legislative competence โ€” and much post-2015 litigation concerns the boundaries between tiers and the slow transfer of staff and revenue.
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 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 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.Bills pass both federal houses, except money bills which originate in the House of Representatives; the President must assent. Constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in both houses and, where a provision affects provincial boundaries or powers, the consent of a majority of provincial assemblies. Provinces and local units legislate within their own schedules.
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.A split profession in form โ€” advocates and attorneys are separately admitted under the Legal Practitioners Act โ€” though in practice many practitioners hold both admissions; the Law Society of Lesotho regulates the attorneys' branch.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.Advocates are licensed by the Nepal Bar Council after a law degree and the Council's examination, with tiers of pleader, advocate and senior advocate. A single licence permits appearance at all levels, and the Nepal Bar Association is the professional body. Legal aid is provided under the Legal Aid Act 1997 through district committees, and the Constitution guarantees free legal aid to indigent parties.

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.