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 | PeruReviewed | NigerIndexed | FijiReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Civil law | Civil law (French tradition) | Common law with customary law |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Unitary semi-presidential republic | Republic under military-led government | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Paraguay | Political Constitution of Peru | Constitution of the Seventh Republic (suspended) | Constitution of the Republic of Fiji |
| In force since | 1992 | 1993 | 2010 | 2013 |
| Capital | Asunciรณn | Lima | Niamey | Suva |
| Official languages | Spanish, Guaranรญ | Spanish, Quechua, Aymara | French, Hausa, Zarma | English, Fijian, Fiji Hindi |
| Currency | Paraguayan guaranรญ (PYG) | Peruvian sol (PEN) | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Fijian dollar (FJD) |
| Population | 6,900,000 | 34,000,000 | 26,200,000 | 930,000 |
| 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 and decentralised, with twenty-five regional governments and the Lima Metropolitan Municipality holding elected councils and administrative competence. Peasant and native communities exercise jurisdiction within their territory under Article 149 in coordination with the justices of the peace. | 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. | Unitary and deliberately centralised. Section 1 declares Fiji a sovereign state whose Parliament legislates for the whole country; there are no provinces with legislative power. The 14 provincial councils and the iTaukei Affairs Board administer indigenous affairs under the iTaukei Affairs Act. Rotuma has a distinct status under the Rotuma Act. |
| 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 come from Congress, the executive, regional governments or citizens. A single chamber debates in committee and plenary; a second vote is required unless exempted. The President may observe a bill, and Congress insists by absolute majority. Constitutional amendment needs an absolute majority in two successive ordinary legislatures, or a two-thirds vote plus referendum. | 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 introduced in the unicameral Parliament, referred to a standing committee, and pass through second reading, committee and third reading before assent by the President. There is no upper house. A constitutional amendment requires the support of three-quarters of all members of Parliament and then approval by three-quarters of registered voters at a referendum, a threshold that has never been met. |
| 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 Guaranรญ are official, courts must provide interpretation, and practitioners outside Asunciรณn are commonly bilingual. | A law degree followed by a bachiller and tรญtulo de abogado, then compulsory registration with one of the departmental colegios de abogados, which hold disciplinary power. Registration in one college permits practice nationwide. Notaries are a separate profession appointed by competitive examination. | Avocats admitted through the Barreau du Niger after a law degree and traineeship; notaires and huissiers are separate offices. | A fused profession under the Legal Practitioners Act 2009: practitioners are admitted by the Chief Justice as barristers and solicitors. Most qualify through the University of the South Pacific law degree followed by the Professional Diploma in Legal Practice. Admission and discipline are handled by the Chief Registrar and the Independent Legal Services Commission rather than by the Fiji Law Society, which is a voluntary professional body. |
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.