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	ZimbabweReviewed	AlgeriaReviewed	MalaysiaReviewed
Legal family	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law	Civil law with Islamic law in personal status	Mixed common law and Islamic law
System of government	Presidential republic	Semi-presidential republic	Federal constitutional monarchy
Constitution	Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20)	Constitution of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria	Federal Constitution of Malaysia
In force since	2013	2020	1957
Capital	Harare	Algiers	Kuala Lumpur
Official languages	English, Shona, Ndebele	Arabic, Tamazight	Malay, English
Currency	Zimbabwe Gold (ZWG)	Algerian dinar (DZD)	Malaysian ringgit (MYR)
Population	16,300,000	45,600,000	34,100,000
Division of powers	Constitutionally devolved to ten provinces with provincial and metropolitan councils, but implementation has lagged and central government retains effective control of provincial administration and revenue.	Unitary, with 58 wilayas headed by walis appointed by the President alongside elected wilaya assemblies, and communes below them. Local bodies administer central policy and hold limited own-source revenue; they do not legislate.	Federal, with 13 states and three federal territories. The Ninth Schedule sets out Federal, State and Concurrent Lists: land, Islamic law, Malay custom and local government are state matters, while trade, finance, defence and civil and criminal law are federal. Sabah and Sarawak hold additional competences — immigration, native customary land, and their own High Court — reflecting the terms on which they joined.
How law is made	Bills are gazetted, then pass both the National Assembly and the Senate with committee scrutiny, and the Parliamentary Legal Committee reports on whether a bill or statutory instrument is consistent with the constitution — a step with no direct equivalent in the region. The President assents; constitutional amendments require two-thirds of the membership of each chamber, and some provisions additionally require a referendum.	Bills come from the government or from at least twenty members of either chamber. They are examined in committee, passed by the People's National Assembly and then the Council of the Nation, with a joint commission resolving disagreement. Organic laws require an absolute majority in the lower house and a three-quarters majority in the upper, plus mandatory constitutional review. The President promulgates within thirty days and may seek a second reading requiring a two-thirds majority to overcome.	Bills pass both houses; the Dewan Negara can delay but not block, and money bills originate in the Dewan Rakyat. Royal assent is required and, since a 1994 amendment, is deemed given after 30 days if withheld. Amendments affecting the rulers, the special position of the Malays, citizenship or the position of Sabah and Sarawak require additional consents beyond the two-thirds majority.
Legal profession	A fused profession of legal practitioners registered under the Legal Practitioners Act after a law degree and practical training, regulated by the Law Society of Zimbabwe; senior practitioners may be appointed Senior Counsel.	Avocats are admitted through regional bars coordinated by the Union Nationale des Ordres des Avocats, with separate accreditation required for appearance before the Supreme Court and Council of State. Judges and prosecutors form a single career magistracy trained at the École Supérieure de la Magistrature. Notaries and bailiffs are regulated public officers in the French tradition, and notarial deeds are compulsory for real-property transfers.	A fused profession of advocates and solicitors, but regulated separately by territory: the Malaysian Bar under the Legal Profession Act 1976 for Peninsular Malaysia, the Sabah Law Society, and the Advocates Association of Sarawak. Admission requires a recognised law degree or the Certificate in Legal Practice, pupillage of nine months, and admission by the High Court. Syariah practitioners are separately admitted by state Syariah authorities and require Syariah law qualifications.

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.