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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedMoroccoReviewedChadIndexedChinaReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawCivil law with Islamic law in personal statusMixed (French civil law, customary and Islamic law)Socialist civil law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicConstitutional monarchyUnitary presidential republicSocialist one-party republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of the Kingdom of MoroccoConstitution of the Republic of ChadConstitution of the People's Republic of China
In force since1992201120231982
CapitalAsunciรณnRabatN'DjamenaBeijing
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญArabic, TamazightFrench, ArabicStandard Chinese (Putonghua)
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Moroccan dirham (MAD)Central African CFA franc (XAF)Renminbi (CNY)
Population6,900,00037,500,00018,300,0001,410,000,000
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 but substantially regionalised since 2015, with twelve regions holding directly elected councils and their own budgets under the advanced regionalisation programme. Regions have executive competences in development planning and transport; they do not legislate.Presidential system with a Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of National Assembly and Senate under the 2023 text, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court.Unitary, with a highly asymmetric structure: 23 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly administered municipalities and two special administrative regions. Hong Kong and Macao operate under 'one country, two systems' with their own Basic Laws, their own courts of final appeal, and legal systems that remain common-law and Portuguese-derived civil-law respectively. Provincial people's congresses may enact local regulations that must not contravene national law.
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 may be introduced by the head of government or by members of either chamber. They pass through committee and plenary in both houses, with the House of Representatives having the final word where the chambers disagree. Organic laws must be referred to the Constitutional Court before promulgation. The King promulgates statutes by dahir within thirty days, and may ask parliament to reconsider a bill or submit it to referendum.Bills are examined in committee and plenary and passed by the legislature, then promulgated by the President. The Constitutional Council may be seised before promulgation.The NPC meets in plenary once a year, so the Standing Committee enacts most legislation. A bill is normally read three times under the Legislation Law, with drafts published for public comment โ€” the Civil Code drafts drew over a million submissions. The NPCSC also has power to interpret laws, which it exercises as a substantive lawmaking tool. There is no presidential veto: the President promulgates what the NPC or its Standing Committee has passed.
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.Avocats are admitted to one of the regional bars and organised nationally through the Association des Barreaux du Maroc; practice before the Court of Cassation requires additional seniority. Notaries and adouls coexist โ€” the notaire handles conveyancing and company documents in the French tradition, while the adoul draws up marriage and inheritance instruments under Islamic law. Judges are career appointments trained at the Institut Supรฉrieur de la Magistrature.Avocats admitted through the Ordre des avocats du Tchad; the profession is concentrated in N'Djamena.Lawyers are licensed under the Lawyers Law after passing the National Unified Legal Profession Qualification Examination, which since 2018 has also been the common entry route for judges, prosecutors and notaries. Firms are licensed and subject to annual inspection by provincial justice departments, and membership of the All China Lawyers Association is mandatory. A 2012 amendment to the Lawyers Law requires an oath that includes loyalty to the leadership of the Communist Party, and the annual licence renewal is the principal point of leverage over practitioners in politically sensitive work.

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.