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Comparison of selected legal systems
AttributeZambiaReviewedSouth SudanIndexed
Legal familyEnglish common law with customary lawCommon law with customary law
System of governmentPresidential republicTransitional government of national unity
ConstitutionConstitution of ZambiaTransitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan
In force since19912011
CapitalLusakaJuba
Official languagesEnglishEnglish, Arabic, Dinka, Nuer
CurrencyZambian kwacha (ZMW)South Sudanese pound (SSP)
Population20,600,00011,100,000
Division of powersUnitary with ten provinces and decentralised district councils. Chiefs administer customary land through the House of Chiefs, which advises on matters of custom and tradition.Decentralised in form, with states and administrative areas whose number has changed repeatedly — from ten at independence to twenty-eight, then thirty-two, and back to ten plus administrative areas under the 2018 agreement. Local government includes county and payam tiers and statutory customary authorities.
How law is madeBills 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 are introduced by ministers or members, considered in committee and passed by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, with the Council of States participating on matters affecting the states. The President assents. Because the legislature is constituted by power-sharing quota rather than election, and because several key bills including the permanent constitutional process have stalled, the process is transitional rather than settled.
Legal professionA 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.Advocates are admitted through the Ministry of Justice and represented by the South Sudan Bar Association, and the profession is small relative to need, with many practitioners trained in Uganda, Kenya or Sudan. Judicial numbers are low and vacancies persistent, which is a large part of why customary courts carry most of the dispute-resolution load.

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.