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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedPortugalReviewedMaldivesReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawCivil lawMixed Islamic and common law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicUnitary semi-presidential republicPresidential republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of the Portuguese RepublicConstitution of the Republic of Maldives
In force since199219762008
CapitalAsunciรณnLisbonMalรฉ
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญPortugueseDhivehi
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Euro (EUR)Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR)
Population6,900,00010,400,000521,000
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.A semi-presidential republic in which a directly elected President, a Government answerable to parliament and an independent judiciary share power, with a Constitutional Court guarding the constitution.Unitary with a decentralised layer under the Decentralisation Act 2010: 21 atolls with elected atoll councils, plus island and city councils. Councils have limited revenue-raising and service delivery functions; the geography of roughly 190 inhabited islands makes administrative decentralisation a practical necessity rather than a constitutional division of sovereignty.
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.Laws are passed by the Assembly of the Republic and promulgated by the President, who may veto a bill or refer it to the Constitutional Court.Bills pass the Majlis by simple majority and go to the President, who may assent or return the bill once; a second passage requires assent. The Attorney General advises on constitutionality, and the Supreme Court may rule on it after enactment. Constitutional amendments need a two-thirds majority, and amendments to specified provisions also require a public referendum.
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.Advogados belong to the Ordem dos Advogados; solicitadores and notaries handle registration and authentication of deeds and companies.Lawyers are licensed and regulated by the Maldives Bar Council, established under the Legal Profession Act 2019 โ€” before which licensing sat with the Attorney General's office and then the Department of Judicial Administration. A recognised law degree, the Bar examination and a period of training are required, and licences are tiered by the level of court in which the lawyer may appear.

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.