Country Profile: Argentina

This Country Profile provides a basic overview of the legal history and institutional structures of the Republic of Argentina (República Argentina), based on research produced by GlobaLex at NYU Law School and the Library of Congress. Under Argentina's Constitution, Islamic law (sharīʿa or fiqh) has no legal status.

Country Background

Argentina is located in Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay. The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires. The official language is Spanish. The country’s population in 2016 was approximately 44 million. Argentina is a predominantly Christian country, with about 92% of the population Roman Catholic.

Constitution & Legal Structure

Argentina is referred to as a presidential republic. It is a civil law system based on West European legal systems. There are three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. It consists of 23 provinces and the autonomous city of Buenos Aires. Each province has its own constitution, which must lay out the provincial administration of justice and municipal autonomy, and the scope and content of its institutional, political, administrative and financial orders. Each province also elects its own authorities: governor, legislators, and other provincial officers.

Constitutional Status of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no constitutional status in Argentina.

Jurisdiction(s) of Islamic Law

Islamic law has no official jurisdiction of operation in Argentina.

Dominant School of Islamic Law

Argentina has no official school of Islamic law. 

Sources of Law for Legal Research

Official Publications

  • Legislative
    • Parliament consists of the Senado and Camara de Diputados
    • Boletin Oficial (official gazette): As of 2011, through Resolution 70/2010 of the Legal and Technical Secretariat of the Presidency of the Nation, the official gazette is freely accessible online.
    • InfoJus provides in Spanish and full text access to: National Laws, Provincial Laws, National Decrees, Provincial Decrees, National and Provincial Jurisprudence, Doctrine, Dictates of the Solicitor of the Treasury, Information about Argentina and Mercosur, and Resolutions of the AFIP (tributary agency).  
    • Infoleg is another free site maintained by the Ministry of Economy and it provides information regarding national law, provincial law, Mercosur, jurisprudence, doctrine and standards of public national administration. The national codes, civil, commercial, penal, etc., are also available on Infoleg.
  • Executive

 Unofficial Databases

References:

For an extended list of legal resources for this country, see the Library of Congress’s Research Guide, and for a narrative review, see the GlobaLex Foreign Law Research Guide (most updated version, where available). The Constitution is available in the LOC Guide in its original language and at Constitute in English and Arabic translation. For full versions of past constitutions, amendments, and related legislation, see HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated or Oxford Constitutions of the World [subscription required for each].