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 | LesothoReviewed | MalawiReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Mixed (common law, customary law, Islamic law) | Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law | English common law with customary law |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic with autonomous Zanzibar | Parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania | Constitution of Lesotho | Constitution of the Republic of Malawi |
| In force since | 1977 | 1993 | 1994 |
| Capital | Dodoma | Maseru | Lilongwe |
| Official languages | Swahili, English | Sesotho, English | English, Chichewa |
| Currency | Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) | Lesotho loti (LSL) | Malawian kwacha (MWK) |
| Population | 67,400,000 | 2,300,000 | 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. | Unitary with ten districts, and a recognised hierarchy of chiefs exercising customary functions over land allocation and local dispute resolution. The Senate includes the twenty-two principal chiefs ex officio. | 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 three readings in the National Assembly, go to the Senate for review, and receive royal assent. The Senate can delay but not indefinitely block ordinary bills. Amendments to entrenched constitutional provisions require a two-thirds majority and, for the most protected clauses, a referendum. | 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. | A split profession in form — advocates and attorneys are separately admitted under the Legal Practitioners Act — though in practice many practitioners hold both admissions; the Law Society of Lesotho regulates the attorneys' branch. | 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.