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 | MalawiReviewed | Ivory CoastReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | English common law with customary law | Civil law (French tradition) |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Presidential republic | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Paraguay | Constitution of the Republic of Malawi | Constitution of the Third Republic |
| In force since | 1992 | 1994 | 2016 |
| Capital | Asunción | Lilongwe | Yamoussoukro |
| Official languages | Spanish, Guaraní | English, Chichewa | French, Baoulé, Dioula |
| Currency | Paraguayan guaraní (PYG) | Malawian kwacha (MWK) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Population | 6,900,000 | 20,900,000 | 28,900,000 |
| 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 three regions and 28 districts administered by local councils. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over customary land and local dispute resolution. | Presidential system with a Vice-President and Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of National Assembly and Senate, and a judiciary headed by the Cour de cassation, Conseil d'État and Cour des comptes after the 2018 reorganisation. |
| 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 with committee scrutiny and are presented for presidential assent, which must be given or withheld within 21 days. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, and amendments affecting entrenched provisions additionally require a referendum. | Government or parliamentary bills pass committee and plenary in both chambers; the National Assembly prevails after a failed conciliation. The President promulgates or refers the text for constitutional review. |
| 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 fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court after a law degree, regulated by the Malawi Law Society under the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act. | Avocats admitted through the Barreau de Côte d'Ivoire; notaires, huissiers and commissaires-priseurs are separate ministerial officers. |
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.