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 | SpainReviewed | PanamaReviewed | ChadIndexed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Civil law | Mixed (French civil law, customary and Islamic law) |
| System of government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary presidential republic | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Spanish Constitution | Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama | Constitution of the Republic of Chad |
| In force since | 1978 | 1972 | 2023 |
| Capital | Madrid | Panama City | N'Djamena |
| Official languages | Spanish | Spanish | French, Arabic |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Balboa (US dollar in circulation) (PAB) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Population | 48,400,000 | 4,400,000 | 18,300,000 |
| Division of powers | A constitutional monarchy with the King as head of state, an executive led by the President of the Government, a bicameral parliament and an independent judiciary, overlaid by extensive regional self-government. | Unitary, with ten provinces and five indigenous comarcas. The comarcas — Guna Yala, Emberá-Wounaan, Ngäbe-Buglé, Guna de Madugandí and Guna de Wargandí — hold recognised collective land title and internal authority. | Presidential system with a Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of National Assembly and Senate under the 2023 text, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court. |
| How law is made | Bills pass both chambers of the Cortes Generales, with the Congress of Deputies able to override the Senate, and receive royal assent. | Bills receive three debates in the National Assembly. The President may object in whole or in part; the Assembly insists with a two-thirds vote, after which the President must promulgate unless the objection was constitutional, in which case the Supreme Court decides. | Bills are examined in committee and plenary and passed by the legislature, then promulgated by the President. The Constitutional Council may be seised before promulgation. |
| Legal profession | Abogados belong to local bar associations (colegios de abogados); procuradores represent parties procedurally and notaries authenticate deeds and company acts. | Practice requires a Panamanian law degree and a licence from the Supreme Court; the Colegio Nacional de Abogados is influential but membership is voluntary. Only Panamanian lawyers may appear in court, which is why offshore work is routinely structured through local counsel. | Avocats admitted through the Ordre des avocats du Tchad; the profession is concentrated in N'Djamena. |
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.