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 | San MarinoReviewed | IraqReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Civil law with Islamic law influence |
| System of government | Parliamentary republic | Federal parliamentary republic |
| Constitution | Declaration of Citizens’ Rights and Leges Statutae | Constitution of the Republic of Iraq |
| In force since | 1600 | 2005 |
| Capital | City of San Marino | Baghdad |
| Official languages | Italian | Arabic, Kurdish |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Iraqi dinar (IQD) |
| Population | 34,000 | 45,500,000 |
| Division of powers | A parliamentary republic in which two Captains Regent serve as joint ceremonial heads of state for six months, a Congress of State governs, and the Grand and General Council legislates. | Genuinely federal in form: 15 governorates not organised into a region, plus the Kurdistan Region, which has its own Parliament, government, judiciary and security forces. Governorates may petition to form new regions. Residual powers lie with the regions and governorates rather than the centre, and regional law prevails over federal law outside the exclusive federal competences — the reverse of the usual federal rule. |
| How law is made | Laws are adopted by the Grand and General Council and promulgated in the name of the Captains Regent. | Bills are proposed by the President with the Council of Ministers, or by ten members or a committee of the Council of Representatives. They pass two readings and a vote, and the President ratifies within fifteen days, after which they are published and take effect. The Federation Council envisaged by the Constitution has never been created, so there is no second chamber in practice. |
| Legal profession | Avvocati and notai belong to the professional order of San Marino; many judges are non-resident Italian magistrates appointed for fixed terms. | Lawyers are admitted by the Iraqi Bar Association under the Advocacy Law, with grades of practice determining which courts a member may appear in — a seniority ladder rather than a single right of audience. The Bar is self-governing and its licence is required for court work. The Kurdistan Region has its own bar association, and the two are administratively distinct, so practitioners generally hold the licence appropriate to where they appear. |
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.