Politics of North Borneo

The politics of North Borneo function within a framework of a unitary parliamentary representative democracy. The structure of government is based on the Westminster system, and the legal system is a hybrid legal system primarily based on the common law of England, though with limited customary law and Sharia law for indigenous and Islamic communities, respectively. North Borneo is a constitutional monarchy, in which Queen Elizabeth II is sovereign and head of state.

The North Borneo Parliament holds legislative power and consists of the Queen and the House of Assembly. The Queen is represented by the Governor-General of North Borneo when not present in the country herself. Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected to the House of Assembly usually every five years. The country largely operates as a two-party system, whereby parliamentary politics is dominated by the National Alliance Party and Democratic Party and several small parties (some of them ethnicity or religion based) trailing far behind in number of seats. One notable exception was the 2018 election which saw a smaller (or third) party hold the balance of power and establish a confidence and supply arrangement with one of the dominant parties.

Executive power in North Borneo is based on the principle that "the Queen reigns, but the government rules". Although an integral part of the process of government, the Queen and her governor-general remain politically neutral and are not involved in the everyday aspects of governing. Ministers are selected from among the democratically elected members of the House of Assembly. Most ministers are members of the Cabinet, which is the main decision-making body of the North Borneo Government. The prime minister is the most senior minister, chair of the Cabinet, and thus head of government. Other ministers are appointed by the governor-general upon the advice of the prime minister, and are all accountable to Parliament.

The Democracy Index rated North Borneo as a "flawed democracy" in 2016.