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 | TanzaniaReviewed | DR CongoReviewed | MalawiReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Mixed (common law, customary law, Islamic law) | Civil law (Belgian tradition) | English common law with customary law |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic with autonomous Zanzibar | Unitary semi-presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania | Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Constitution of the Republic of Malawi |
| In force since | 1977 | 2006 | 1994 |
| Capital | Dodoma | Kinshasa | Lilongwe |
| Official languages | Swahili, English | French, Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba | English, Chichewa |
| Currency | Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) | Congolese Franc (CDF) | Malawian kwacha (MWK) |
| Population | 67,400,000 | 102,300,000 | 20,900,000 |
| Division of powers | Presidential system with a Prime Minister, a unicameral National Assembly, and a separate Zanzibar government with its own House of Representatives and judiciary up to the Zanzibar High Court. | Semi-presidential: a directly elected President, a Prime Minister from the parliamentary majority, and a bicameral Parliament. The 2006 constitution split the former Supreme Court into three separate apex courts. | Unitary with three regions and 28 districts administered by local councils. Traditional authorities exercise recognised functions over customary land and local dispute resolution. |
| How law is made | Bills are read three times with committee scrutiny in the National Assembly. Bills affecting Zanzibar's Union interests require particular majorities. The President assents; a returned bill passed again by two-thirds must be assented to or the Assembly dissolved. | Bills pass both chambers; persistent disagreement is resolved by a joint commission or a final National Assembly vote. The President promulgates within the constitutional period, and the Constitutional Court may be seised beforehand. | Bills pass three readings in the National Assembly with committee scrutiny and are presented for presidential assent, which must be given or withheld within 21 days. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, and amendments affecting entrenched provisions additionally require a referendum. |
| Legal profession | Fused; advocates are admitted to the roll of the High Court after an LLB and the Law School of Tanzania, with the Tanganyika Law Society as the mainland professional body. | Avocats admitted to provincial bars under the national Ordre des avocats after a law degree and traineeship; défenseurs judiciaires assist in lower courts. | A fused profession of legal practitioners admitted by the High Court after a law degree, regulated by the Malawi Law Society under the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act. |
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.