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 | MaltaReviewed | SpainReviewed | KenyaReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Mixed (civil and common law) | Civil law | Mixed (common law, customary law, Islamic law) |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Unitary parliamentary republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary presidential republic with devolved counties |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Paraguay | Constitution of Malta | Spanish Constitution | Constitution of Kenya |
| In force since | 1992 | 1964 | 1978 | 2010 |
| Capital | Asunción | Valletta | Madrid | Nairobi |
| Official languages | Spanish, Guaraní | Maltese, English | Spanish | English, Swahili |
| Currency | Paraguayan guaraní (PYG) | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) | Kenyan Shilling (KES) |
| Population | 6,900,000 | 540,000 | 48,400,000 | 55,100,000 |
| 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. | A parliamentary republic with a ceremonial President, a Cabinet led by the Prime Minister answerable to the House of Representatives and an independent judiciary. | A constitutional monarchy with the King as head of state, an executive led by the President of the Government, a bicameral parliament and an independent judiciary, overlaid by extensive regional self-government. | 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. |
| 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 are passed by the House of Representatives and assented to by the President before publication in the Government Gazette. | Bills pass both chambers of the Cortes Generales, with the Congress of Deputies able to override the Senate, and receive royal assent. | 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. |
| 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. | Advocates are admitted to the bar after a law degree and warrant; legal procurators and notaries handle procedural filing and authentication of deeds. | Abogados belong to local bar associations (colegios de abogados); procuradores represent parties procedurally and notaries authenticate deeds and company acts. | 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. |
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.