Comparison

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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	YemenReviewed	LibyaIndexed
Legal family	Mixed (Islamic law and civil law)	Civil law with Islamic law as a source
System of government	Republic with contested authority	Provisional government with contested authority
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Yemen	Constitutional Declaration (interim)
In force since	1991	2011
Capital	Sana'a (constitutional); Aden (interim seat of government)	Tripoli
Official languagesIdentical	Arabic	Arabic
Currency	Yemeni rial (YER)	Libyan dinar (LYD)
Population	34,400,000	6,900,000
Division of powers	Nominally unitary with twenty-two governorates and appointed governors, and a 2000 local authority law providing for elected local councils. In practice territorial control is divided between rival authorities, and the 2015 draft federal constitution proposing six regions was never adopted.	Nominally unitary with governorates and municipalities. In practice authority is divided between competing administrations and local armed actors, and municipal councils have in many places become the most functional layer of government.
How law is made	Under the constitution, bills are passed by the House of Representatives and ratified by the head of state, with publication in the Official Gazette. Since 2014 this process has not operated normally: the recognised government legislates largely by decree from Aden, and the Houthi authorities issue their own instruments in the areas they control. Determining the applicable rule in a given place and period is a factual question, not merely a legal one.	There is no single functioning legislative process. The House of Representatives passes laws that the High Council of State contests, and the rival administrations issue decrees within their areas of control. Whether a given instrument is law therefore depends on which authority is recognised, which is exactly why this profile is marked as requiring research rather than described as settled.
Legal profession	Advocates are licensed under the Advocacy Law and organised in the Yemeni Bar Association, which has continued to operate and to make representations about judicial independence throughout the conflict. Judges are trained at the High Judicial Institute and appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council, but appointments made by rival authorities since 2014 are not mutually recognised. Legal aid is minimal and provided mainly by non-governmental organisations.	Advocates are admitted through the Libyan Bar Association, and the profession has continued to function, including in human-rights litigation, despite serious risks to practitioners. Judicial appointments run through the Supreme Judicial Council. Reliable current information on admission requirements and numbers is limited, which is reflected in the verification status of this entry.

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.