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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedNigerIndexedMoldovaReviewedGuatemalaReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawCivil law (French tradition)Civil lawCivil law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicRepublic under military-led governmentUnitary parliamentary republicUnitary presidential republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of the Seventh Republic (suspended)Constitution of the Republic of MoldovaPolitical Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala
In force since1992201019941985
CapitalAsunciรณnNiameyChiศ™inฤƒuGuatemala City
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญFrench, Hausa, ZarmaRomanianSpanish, K'iche', Q'eqchi', Kaqchikel, Mam
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)West African CFA franc (XOF)Moldovan leu (MDL)Guatemalan quetzal (GTQ)
Population6,900,00026,200,0002,400,00017,600,000
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.Under the suspended constitution, a semi-presidential system with a President, Prime Minister and National Assembly. Currently executive and legislative authority is concentrated in the CNSP and an appointed government.Parliamentary, though the President has been directly elected since 2016; the Constitutional Court arbitrates between the two.Unitary, with 22 departments run by governors the President appoints, and 340 autonomous municipalities. Indigenous authorities exercise recognised customary functions, and ILO Convention 169 has been ratified.
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.Legislation is currently made by order of the governing authority and published in the Journal Officiel. The suspended constitution provided for ordinary parliamentary passage and presidential promulgation.Bills are adopted by Parliament, usually in two readings, and promulgated by the President, who may return a bill once for reconsideration. Publication in Monitorul Oficial is a condition of entry into force.Bills go through three readings and article-by-article approval in Congress. The President may veto within 15 days; Congress overrides with two-thirds. Bills touching constitutional matters must be sent to the Corte de Constitucionalidad for a prior opinion.
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 admitted through the Barreau du Niger after a law degree and traineeship; notaires and huissiers are separate offices.Lawyers are licensed by the Union of Advocates after examination and traineeship; notaries, bailiffs and authorised administrators are separate licensed professions.Practice requires membership of the Colegio de Abogados y Notarios de Guatemala, which also votes in the commissions that nominate senior judges โ€” a link that has drawn sustained criticism. Lawyers are qualified as both abogado and notario.

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.