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Comparison of selected legal systems
AttributeParaguayReviewedVanuatuReviewedMongoliaReviewedMadagascarReviewed
Legal familyCivil lawMixed common, civil and customary lawCivil lawFrench civil law with customary law
System of governmentUnitary presidential republicUnitary parliamentary republicSemi-presidential republicSemi-presidential republic
ConstitutionConstitution of the Republic of ParaguayConstitution of the Republic of VanuatuConstitution of MongoliaConstitution of the Fourth Republic
In force since1992198019922010
CapitalAsunciรณnPort VilaUlaanbaatarAntananarivo
Official languagesSpanish, GuaranรญBislama, English, FrenchMongolianMalagasy, French
CurrencyParaguayan guaranรญ (PYG)Vanuatu vatu (VUV)Mongolian tรถgrรถg (MNT)Malagasy ariary (MGA)
Population6,900,000330,0003,500,00030,300,000
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.Unitary with decentralised administration. Six provinces โ€” Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea and Torba โ€” have councils under the Decentralisation Act with delegated functions. Custom land management is decentralised much further, to area-level Custom Land Tribunals and nakamal-based decision-making under the Custom Land Management Act 2013.Unitary. Twenty-one provinces (aimags) plus the capital, subdivided into soums and districts. Local self-governing assemblies (hurals) sit alongside centrally appointed governors, who are nominated locally but confirmed by the Prime Minister โ€” a hybrid that keeps substantial central control over local administration.Unitary with a decentralised structure of 23 regions and communes. Successive constitutions have promised fuller decentralisation, including provincial autonomy, which has not been implemented.
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 in the single chamber and assented to by the President, who may refer a bill to the Supreme Court if he considers it inconsistent with the Constitution. Ordinary bills need a simple majority of members present, with a quorum of two-thirds. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of all members; if the amendment touches the status of Bislama, English or French, land, or the republican form of the state, it must also be approved at a national referendum.Bills are introduced by members of the State Great Khural, the President or the Cabinet, considered in standing committee and then in plenary. The President may veto a bill in whole or in part, and the veto is overridden by a two-thirds majority. Laws take effect ten days after publication in the State Information Bulletin unless the statute provides otherwise. The Law on Legislation requires regulatory impact assessment and public consultation for draft laws.Bills originate with the government or members of either chamber, are examined in committee, and must pass both the National Assembly and the Senate; the Assembly prevails on disagreement. The Haute Cour Constitutionnelle may review a law before promulgation, and organic laws must be referred to it as a matter of course.
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 fused profession regulated by the Legal Practitioners Act: practitioners are admitted by the Chief Justice and licensed by the Law Council. The University of the South Pacific's law school is in Port Vila, so many Pacific lawyers train in Vanuatu. Practitioners may need to work in Bislama, English or French depending on the client and the court file, and the Public Solicitor is a constitutional office rather than a discretionary aid scheme.Advocates are licensed under the Law on the Legal Status of Lawyers 2012, which separated the profession into advocates, prosecutors and notaries and created the Mongolian Bar Association as a self-governing body with mandatory membership. Entry requires a law degree, a qualifying examination and a period of supervised practice. Notaries hold a distinct licence and their involvement is mandatory for many property and corporate transactions, a survival of the Soviet-era formality requirements.Avocats admitted to the Ordre des avocats de Madagascar after a law degree and professional training, alongside notaires for authenticated instruments and huissiers for service and enforcement โ€” the standard French division of functions.

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.