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Comparison of selected legal systems
AttributeParaguayReviewedSudanIndexedSyriaReviewedMicronesiaReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawMixed Islamic and common lawCivil law with Islamic law influenceMixed common law with customary law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicMilitary government following the 2021 coup and 2023 warTransitional administrationFederal republic in free association with the United States
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayDraft Constitutional Charter for the Transitional PeriodConstitutional arrangements under the 2024โ€“25 transitionConstitution of the Federated States of Micronesia
In force since1992201920251979
CapitalAsunciรณnKhartoumDamascusPalikir
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญArabic, EnglishArabicEnglish, Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosraean
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Sudanese pound (SDG)Syrian pound (SYP)United States dollar (USD)
Population6,900,00048,100,00023,200,000115,000
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.Formally federal, with states headed by governors. The Juba Peace Agreement of 2020 contemplated regional arrangements for Darfur and the Two Areas. Effective authority is currently divided between the belligerents and varies by locality.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.Genuine federalism. The national government holds foreign affairs, defence, immigration, currency and interstate commerce; everything else, including land tenure, is state or local. Each state has its own constitution and supreme court, and Yap's constitution creates Councils of Pilung and Tamol โ€” traditional leaders' councils with power to disapprove state legislation affecting tradition and custom.
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.The Charter assigned legislation to a joint sitting of the Sovereignty Council and the cabinet pending the formation of a legislative council, which never fully happened. Since 2021 instruments have been issued by decree. There is no verifiable ordinary legislative process at present, which is why this profile is marked as requiring research.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 Congress and are signed by the President, who has a veto that Congress may override. Because the four at-large senators serve longer terms and are the pool from which the President is drawn, national politics is structured around balancing the states rather than around parties โ€” there are no formal political parties. Constitutional amendments may be proposed by Congress, by a convention, or by popular initiative, and require ratification by three-quarters of the voters in three of the four states.
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 Sudanese Bar Association, and the profession โ€” particularly the Sudanese Professionals Association and the emergency lawyers' groups โ€” was central to the 2019 protest movement and to documenting subsequent abuses. Judges are career appointments through the Judicial Service Commission. Current admission practice and numbers cannot be reliably confirmed.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.Admission is to the FSM Supreme Court, with rules that recognise foreign qualifications, so many practitioners trained in the United States. A distinctive feature is the trial counselor: a non-lawyer licensed to appear in certain courts after examination, which is how most representation is delivered outside the main centres. Practitioners must often hold admission both nationally and in the relevant state.

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.