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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
AttributeParaguayReviewedUruguayReviewedBeninReviewedEritreaIndexed
Legal familyCivil lawCivil lawCivil law (French tradition)Civil law with customary law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicUnitary presidential republicUnitary presidential republicSingle-party state
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of the Oriental Republic of UruguayConstitution of the Republic of BeninConstitution of Eritrea (ratified 1997, never implemented)
In force since1992196719901997
CapitalAsunciรณnMontevideoPorto-NovoAsmara
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญSpanishFrench, Fon, YorubaTigrinya, Arabic, English
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Uruguayan peso (UYU)West African CFA franc (XOF)Eritrean nakfa (ERN)
Population6,900,0003,400,00013,700,0003,700,000
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.Unitary. Nineteen departments have elected intendentes and juntas with administrative and local taxing competence, and municipalities were added in 2010, but all legislative power belongs to the General Assembly.Presidential system without a Prime Minister for most of its history, a unicameral National Assembly, and a Constitutional Court with broad access rules.Unitary, with six regions and sub-regional administrations whose administrators are centrally appointed. There is no elected regional tier and no legislative devolution.
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 pass both chambers; disagreement is resolved by the General Assembly sitting jointly. The executive may veto, overcome by three-fifths of the joint assembly. Distinctively, 25% of registered voters can force a referendum to repeal a statute within one year of promulgation, and 10% can initiate a constitutional plebiscite.Bills are examined in committee and voted in plenary by the National Assembly. The President promulgates; the Constitutional Court may be seised before or after promulgation, including by individuals.There is no functioning parliamentary process. Law is made by proclamation issued through the executive and published in the Gazette of Eritrean Laws. Because the National Assembly has not sat for more than two decades, the ordinary description of a legislative procedure would be inapplicable.
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.A degree from the Universidad de la Repรบblica or an accredited private faculty confers the title of abogado, with registration by the Supreme Court. Membership of the Colegio de Abogados del Uruguay is voluntary; the Supreme Court exercises discipline. Escribanos pรบblicos are a separate profession with exclusive competence over conveyancing.Avocats admitted through the Barreau du Bรฉnin; notaires and huissiers are separate ministerial officers.The profession is very small. Advocates are licensed by the Ministry of Justice, there is no independent bar association, and legal education runs through a limited number of state institutions following the closure of the University of Asmara as a degree-granting body in 2006. Representation is not permitted before the Special Court. Reliable current figures are not available.

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.