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
Attribute	ParaguayReviewed	NigerIndexed	SyriaReviewed	MalawiReviewed
Legal family	Civil law	Civil law (French tradition)	Civil law with Islamic law influence	English common law with customary law
System of government	Unitary presidential republic	Republic under military-led government	Transitional administration	Presidential republic
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Paraguay	Constitution of the Seventh Republic (suspended)	Constitutional arrangements under the 2024–25 transition	Constitution of the Republic of Malawi
In force since	1992	2010	2025	1994
Capital	Asunción	Niamey	Damascus	Lilongwe
Official languages	Spanish, Guaraní	French, Hausa, Zarma	Arabic	English, Chichewa
Currency	Paraguayan guaraní (PYG)	West African CFA franc (XOF)	Syrian pound (SYP)	Malawian kwacha (MWK)
Population	6,900,000	26,200,000	23,200,000	20,900,000
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.	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.	Formally unitary, with fourteen governorates administered under Local Administration Law No. 107 of 2011. Effective control has been fragmented since 2012, and the northeast has been administered separately by an autonomous administration with its own councils and courts. The transitional authorities have announced an intention to reintegrate administration, which remains in progress.	Unitary with three regions and 28 districts administered by local councils. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over customary land and local dispute resolution.
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.	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.	Under the transitional declaration, legislation is issued by the interim authorities pending the election of a permanent legislature, and published in the Official Gazette. Before 2024, laws passed the People's Assembly and were promulgated by the President, who also legislated extensively by decree between sessions. Practitioners should verify the current status of any instrument, since repeals and suspensions are ongoing.	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.
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.	Avocats admitted through the Barreau du Niger after a law degree and traineeship; notaires and huissiers are separate offices.	Lawyers are admitted by the Syrian Bar Association under the Advocacy Law, with compulsory membership, a two-year traineeship and a right of audience that broadens with seniority. Notaries operate under the Ministry of Justice and their authentication is required for property and company transactions. Both the Bar's governance and the notarial network are affected by the transition, and displacement has made proof of title and civil status a dominant practical issue.	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.

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.