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	MaliIndexed	IraqReviewed
Legal family	Mixed Roman-Dutch and English common law	Civil law (French tradition)	Civil law with Islamic law influence
System of government	Presidential republic	Republic under transitional military-led government	Federal parliamentary republic
Constitution	Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20)	Constitution of Mali	Constitution of the Republic of Iraq
In force since	2013	2023	2005
Capital	Harare	Bamako	Baghdad
Official languages	English, Shona, Ndebele	French, Bambara	Arabic, Kurdish
Currency	Zimbabwe Gold (ZWG)	West African CFA franc (XOF)	Iraqi dinar (IQD)
Population	16,300,000	23,300,000	45,500,000
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.	Formally a presidential system with a Prime Minister and bicameral legislature under the 2023 text; in practice transitional authorities exercise combined executive and legislative functions pending elections.	Genuinely federal in form: 15 governorates not organised into a region, plus the Kurdistan Region, which has its own Parliament, government, judiciary and security forces. Governorates may petition to form new regions. Residual powers lie with the regions and governorates rather than the centre, and regional law prevails over federal law outside the exclusive federal competences — the reverse of the usual federal rule.
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.	Under the transition, texts are adopted by the Conseil national de transition or issued as ordinances and promulgated by the President of the Transition. The 2023 constitution provides for ordinary bicameral passage once institutions are restored.	Bills are proposed by the President with the Council of Ministers, or by ten members or a committee of the Council of Representatives. They pass two readings and a vote, and the President ratifies within fifteen days, after which they are published and take effect. The Federation Council envisaged by the Constitution has never been created, so there is no second chamber in practice.
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 admitted through the Barreau du Mali after a law degree and traineeship; notaires and huissiers are separate ministerial offices.	Lawyers are admitted by the Iraqi Bar Association under the Advocacy Law, with grades of practice determining which courts a member may appear in — a seniority ladder rather than a single right of audience. The Bar is self-governing and its licence is required for court work. The Kurdistan Region has its own bar association, and the two are administratively distinct, so practitioners generally hold the licence appropriate to where they appear.

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.