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 | ZambiaReviewed | PanamaReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | English common law with customary law | Civil law |
| System of government | Presidential republic | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of Zambia | Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama |
| In force since | 1991 | 1972 |
| Capital | Lusaka | Panama City |
| Official languages | English | Spanish |
| Currency | Zambian kwacha (ZMW) | Balboa (US dollar in circulation) (PAB) |
| Population | 20,600,000 | 4,400,000 |
| Division of powers | Unitary with ten provinces and decentralised district councils. Chiefs administer customary land through the House of Chiefs, which advises on matters of custom and tradition. | Unitary, with ten provinces and five indigenous comarcas. The comarcas — Guna Yala, Emberá-Wounaan, Ngäbe-Buglé, Guna de Madugandí and Guna de Wargandí — hold recognised collective land title and internal authority. |
| How law is made | Bills are published in the Gazette, read three times in the National Assembly with committee scrutiny, and presented for presidential assent. Constitutional amendments require two-thirds of the membership, and amendments touching the bill of rights or the sovereignty provisions additionally require a national referendum — the reason several attempted rights reforms have stalled. | Bills receive three debates in the National Assembly. The President may object in whole or in part; the Assembly insists with a two-thirds vote, after which the President must promulgate unless the objection was constitutional, in which case the Supreme Court decides. |
| Legal profession | A fused profession of practitioners admitted after a law degree and the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education programme, regulated by the Law Association of Zambia; senior practitioners may be appointed State Counsel. | Practice requires a Panamanian law degree and a licence from the Supreme Court; the Colegio Nacional de Abogados is influential but membership is voluntary. Only Panamanian lawyers may appear in court, which is why offshore work is routinely structured through local counsel. |
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.