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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedSouth SudanIndexedMaliIndexed
Legal familyCivil lawCommon law with customary lawCivil law (French tradition)
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicTransitional government of national unityRepublic under transitional military-led government
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayTransitional Constitution of the Republic of South SudanConstitution of Mali
In force since199220112023
CapitalAsunciรณnJubaBamako
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญEnglish, Arabic, Dinka, NuerFrench, Bambara
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)South Sudanese pound (SSP)West African CFA franc (XOF)
Population6,900,00011,100,00023,300,000
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.Decentralised in form, with states and administrative areas whose number has changed repeatedly โ€” from ten at independence to twenty-eight, then thirty-two, and back to ten plus administrative areas under the 2018 agreement. Local government includes county and payam tiers and statutory customary authorities.Formally a presidential system with a Prime Minister and bicameral legislature under the 2023 text; in practice transitional authorities exercise combined executive and legislative functions pending elections.
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 are introduced by ministers or members, considered in committee and passed by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, with the Council of States participating on matters affecting the states. The President assents. Because the legislature is constituted by power-sharing quota rather than election, and because several key bills including the permanent constitutional process have stalled, the process is transitional rather than settled.Under the transition, texts are adopted by the Conseil national de transition or issued as ordinances and promulgated by the President of the Transition. The 2023 constitution provides for ordinary bicameral passage once institutions are restored.
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.Advocates are admitted through the Ministry of Justice and represented by the South Sudan Bar Association, and the profession is small relative to need, with many practitioners trained in Uganda, Kenya or Sudan. Judicial numbers are low and vacancies persistent, which is a large part of why customary courts carry most of the dispute-resolution load.Avocats admitted through the Barreau du Mali after a law degree and traineeship; notaires and huissiers are separate ministerial offices.

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.