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 | UruguayReviewed | EritreaIndexed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Civil law | Civil law with customary law |
| System of government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary presidential republic | Single-party state |
| Constitution | Spanish Constitution | Constitution of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay | Constitution of Eritrea (ratified 1997, never implemented) |
| In force since | 1978 | 1967 | 1997 |
| Capital | Madrid | Montevideo | Asmara |
| Official languages | Spanish | Spanish | Tigrinya, Arabic, English |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Uruguayan peso (UYU) | Eritrean nakfa (ERN) |
| Population | 48,400,000 | 3,400,000 | 3,700,000 |
| 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. Nineteen departments have elected intendentes and juntas with administrative and local taxing competence, and municipalities were added in 2010, but all legislative power belongs to the General Assembly. | 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 pass both chambers of the Cortes Generales, with the Congress of Deputies able to override the Senate, and receive royal assent. | Bills pass both chambers; disagreement is resolved by the General Assembly sitting jointly. The executive may veto, overcome by three-fifths of the joint assembly. Distinctively, 25% of registered voters can force a referendum to repeal a statute within one year of promulgation, and 10% can initiate a constitutional plebiscite. | 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 | Abogados belong to local bar associations (colegios de abogados); procuradores represent parties procedurally and notaries authenticate deeds and company acts. | A degree from the Universidad de la República or an accredited private faculty confers the title of abogado, with registration by the Supreme Court. Membership of the Colegio de Abogados del Uruguay is voluntary; the Supreme Court exercises discipline. Escribanos públicos are a separate profession with exclusive competence over conveyancing. | 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.