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Comparison of selected legal systems
AttributeParaguayReviewedTanzaniaReviewedMicronesiaReviewedComorosReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawMixed (common law, customary law, Islamic law)Mixed common law with customary lawMixed French civil law and Islamic law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicUnitary presidential republic with autonomous ZanzibarFederal republic in free association with the United StatesFederal presidential republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of the United Republic of TanzaniaConstitution of the Federated States of MicronesiaConstitution of the Union of the Comoros
In force since1992197719792001
CapitalAsunciรณnDodomaPalikirMoroni
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญSwahili, EnglishEnglish, Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, KosraeanComorian, Arabic, French
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Tanzanian Shilling (TZS)United States dollar (USD)Comorian franc (KMF)
Population6,900,00067,400,000115,000850,000
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.Presidential system with a Prime Minister, a unicameral National Assembly, and a separate Zanzibar government with its own House of Representatives and judiciary up to the Zanzibar High Court.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.Federal. Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohรฉli each have a governor and their own assembly with substantial autonomy over local administration, while the Union handles defence, currency, foreign affairs and nationality.
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 read three times with committee scrutiny in the National Assembly. Bills affecting Zanzibar's Union interests require particular majorities. The President assents; a returned bill passed again by two-thirds must be assented to or the Assembly dissolved.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.Bills originate with the government or members of the Assembly of the Union, are examined in committee and passed by the Assembly, then promulgated by the President. Matters within island competence are legislated by the island assemblies, and disputes over the boundary between Union and island competence are a standing feature of Comorian constitutional practice.
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.Fused; advocates are admitted to the roll of the High Court after an LLB and the Law School of Tanzania, with the Tanganyika Law Society as the mainland professional body.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 small bar of avocats admitted after French-model legal training, supplemented by qadis who require religious-law qualification for the personal-status jurisdiction; many practitioners train in France or Madagascar.

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.