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.

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Comparison of selected legal systems
Attribute	TongaReviewed	ComorosReviewed	KiribatiReviewed
Legal family	Common law with customary law	Mixed French civil law and Islamic law	Common law with customary law
System of government	Constitutional monarchy	Federal presidential republic	Presidential republic
Constitution	Act of Constitution of Tonga	Constitution of the Union of the Comoros	Constitution of Kiribati
In force since	1875	2001	1979
Capital	Nuku'alofa	Moroni	South Tarawa
Official languages	Tongan, English	Comorian, Arabic, French	Gilbertese, English
Currency	Tongan paʻanga (TOP)	Comorian franc (KMF)	Australian dollar (AUD)
Population	105,000	850,000	133,000
Division of powers	Unitary. The Legislative Assembly legislates for the whole kingdom, and the island divisions of Tongatapu, Vava'u, Ha'apai, 'Eua and the Niuas are administrative districts headed by governors. Below that, town and district officers are elected under the Fakafekau'aki and District and Town Officers Act.	Federal. Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli each have a governor and their own assembly with substantial autonomy over local administration, while the Union handles defence, currency, foreign affairs and nationality.	Unitary with statutory island councils. The Local Government Act gives each inhabited island a council with bylaw-making powers, and on most islands the traditional maneaba (meeting house assembly) remains the real forum for community decisions. Banaba (Ocean Island) has a distinct status reflecting the displacement of the Banaban community to Rabi in Fiji, with reserved representation in the Maneaba.
How law is made	Bills pass three readings in the Legislative Assembly and require the King's assent, which is a real rather than purely formal step. Ordinary bills need a simple majority. Amendments to the Constitution require a majority in the Assembly at three separate readings and the consent of the King and Privy Council, and clause 79 forbids any amendment affecting the law of liberty, the succession to the throne or the titles and hereditary estates of the nobles.	Bills originate with the government or members of the Assembly of the Union, are examined in committee and passed by the Assembly, then promulgated by the President. Matters within island competence are legislated by the island assemblies, and disputes over the boundary between Union and island competence are a standing feature of Comorian constitutional practice.	Bills receive three readings in the single chamber and are assented to by the Beretitenti. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of all members, and amendments affecting Banaban land rights or the Banaban representative additionally require the support of the Rabi Council of Leaders — a rare example of a minority community holding a constitutional veto.
Legal profession	Law practitioners are admitted by the Chief Justice and licensed under the Law Practitioners Act, with the Tonga Law Society as the professional body. Most qualify overseas or at the University of the South Pacific. A practitioner working on land must know the Land Act's allotment system rather than general property law, because the constitutional bar on selling land means conveyancing in the ordinary sense does not exist.	A small bar of avocats admitted after French-model legal training, supplemented by qadis who require religious-law qualification for the personal-status jurisdiction; many practitioners train in France or Madagascar.	A small fused profession admitted by the High Court under the Legal Practitioners Ordinance. Many practitioners are in government service, and the People's Lawyer's office carries most private client work. Because the Court of Appeal is non-resident, appellate hearings are grouped into sittings when judges travel to Tarawa.

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.