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.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | RwandaReviewed | IranReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Mixed (civil law transitioning toward common law) | Islamic law with civil law codification |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Islamic republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda | Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran |
| In force since | 2003 | 1979 |
| Capital | Kigali | Tehran |
| Official languages | Kinyarwanda, English, French, Swahili | Persian |
| Currency | Rwandan Franc (RWF) | Rial (IRR) |
| Population | 14,100,000 | 89,000,000 |
| Division of powers | Presidential system with a Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of Chamber of Deputies and Senate, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court which also exercises constitutional jurisdiction. | Unitary, with 31 provinces headed by governors-general appointed by the Interior Ministry, alongside elected city and village councils created by the Constitution and operating since 1999 with limited competences. |
| How law is made | Bills are examined in committee and plenary in both chambers, with organic laws requiring three-fifths majorities. The President promulgates and may request a second reading; the Supreme Court may review constitutionality. | A bill is introduced by the Government or by at least fifteen deputies, passes the Majlis, and goes to the Guardian Council, which has ten days, extendable, to find it consistent with Islam and the Constitution. If the Council objects, the bill returns for amendment; persistent disagreement goes to the Expediency Discernment Council, whose decision is final. Only then does the President sign and publish. |
| Legal profession | Advocates admitted through the Rwanda Bar Association after a law degree and bar course; practice increasingly requires English-language common-law competence alongside civil-law training. | Two parallel routes to practice, which is unusual and consequential: attorneys licensed by the Iranian Bar Association (Kanoon-e Vokala), a self-governing body dating to 1953, and attorneys licensed under Article 187 of the Third Development Plan directly by the judiciary. The two groups have contested each other's standing for two decades. Notaries operate licensed offices under the registration organisation, and their authentication is required for property transfers, marriage contracts and powers of attorney. |
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 — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.