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| Attribute | SomaliaIndexed | EritreaIndexed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Pluralist: Islamic, customary and civil law | Civil law with customary law |
| System of government | Federal parliamentary republic | Single-party state |
| Constitution | Provisional Constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia | Constitution of Eritrea (ratified 1997, never implemented) |
| In force since | 2012 | 1997 |
| Capital | Mogadishu | Asmara |
| Official languages | Somali, Arabic | Tigrinya, Arabic, English |
| Currency | Somali shilling (SOS) | Eritrean nakfa (ERN) |
| Population | 18,100,000 | 3,700,000 |
| Division of powers | Federal in form, with member states including Puntland, Jubaland, South West, Hirshabelle and Galmudug. The division of powers was left to be settled by later agreement and remains contested, particularly over revenue and security. Somaliland, in the northwest, does not participate and administers its own institutions. | 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 made | Bills are introduced by the government or members and passed by the House of the People, with the Upper House participating on matters affecting member states, before presidential assent. Because Article 2 subjects all legislation to consistency with Sharia and no court exists to adjudicate that limit, and because member-state legislation operates in parallel, the effective legislative picture cannot be described as unified. | 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 profession | Advocates practise through the Somali Bar Association and regional bar associations, with legal education rebuilt through universities in Mogadishu, Hargeisa and elsewhere since the 1990s. Many practitioners work across the formal courts and customary forums, since a client's remedy often lies in the latter. Verified current figures on admission and numbers are not available, which is reflected in this entry's status. | 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 — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.