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 | South AfricaReviewed | IranReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Mixed: Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, customary law | Islamic law with civil law codification |
| System of government | Parliamentary republic | Islamic republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 | Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran |
| In force since | 1996 | 1979 |
| Capital | Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial) | Tehran |
| Official languages | isiZulu, English, Afrikaans, +9 official languages | Persian |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) | Rial (IRR) |
| Population | 61,000,000 | 89,000,000 |
| Division of powers | Parliamentary executive with strong constitutional supremacy; the Constitutional Court may declare conduct of any branch invalid. | 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 tagged by subject matter, pass the National Assembly and, where provinces are affected, the NCOP, before presidential assent; the President may refer a bill to the Constitutional Court. | 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 | The Legal Practice Act 2014 unified regulation under the Legal Practice Council, retaining the attorney and advocate distinction. | 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.