All About Liberland – The Micronation That Elected TRON's Justin Sun As Prime Minister

Liberland, a yet-to-be-formally-recognized country on a disputed 7 km2 territory between Croatia and Serbia, has elected TRON blockchain founder Justin Sun as its Prime Minister using a blockchain-based system, marking a significant milestone in the technology's role in elections.

A Transparent, Immutable Election Process

According to a statement from the sovereign state's website this week, Liberland's election process was governed by a simple set of rules and was "entirely algorithmic, providing transparency."

"This system has a unique ability to eliminate doubt regarding election outcomes, a challenge faced by many countries still relying on traditional methods. We hope to be a pioneering example of what will soon become common practice," the statement said.

Choosing TRON's Sun

The statement further noted that Liberland's President Vít Jedlička nominated Sun to serve as the small nation's Prime Minister. Sun, who founded the TRON blockchain in 2017 and has a lot of experience in blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, is described by Liberland as an individual who has proven himself as an accomplished entrepreneur in crypto.

In his first statement since being elected as the Prime Minister, Sun said early Friday that he was "very happy" and aims to "actively promote the idea of small government not only within Liberland but also as a model for the world."

He went on to note that for him, Liberland is not just a sovereign nation. "It is a manifestation of a political philosophy that champions liberty, minimal government intervention, and individual autonomy," facets of a new society that are at the heart of crypto and blockchain.

Facts About Liberland

Liberland, also the Free Republic of Liberland, was founded by Jedlička in 2015. It advocates strongly for blockchain and crypto, and has said it is "the first country to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as its official currency." It currently has over a thousand residents, more than 4,000 e-residents, and some 700,000 in settler applications.

The sovereign state is open to people who want to settle in Liberland. However, it does not accept individuals with criminal records, those who have alcohol and drug issues, and those who have not secured health insurance valid in Croatia.

Liberland has yet to be formally recognized worldwide as a country, but the government website states that the micronation has "friendly relations" with some United Nations member states, including with "Bitcoin country" El Salvador, Serbia, and Argentina.

While Liberland made a special mention for the people of Serbia and its government for the "warmth" it has provided for Liberland settlers, Liberland said Croatia has "prevented" people from visiting the territory for years. Liberland said it seeks to improve relations with Croatia.

Liberland's Blockchain System

Liberland utilizes blockchain technology and advocates for the technology's broader adoption. It said it the first nation "to structure its entire governance and legislation to be managed on its own blockchain."

Specifically, Liberland's blockchain system, which uses a nominated proof-of-state (NPoS) consensus mechanism, allows citizens and "e-residents" to engage with Liberland business from anywhere in the world just with an internet connection.

The Liberland blockchain has an operation token called the Liberland dollar (LLD), which is used for gas fees, company operations, court engagements, and contracts.

The government also has a governance token called Liberland merit (LLM). With 5,000 stakes LLMs, and after passing a KYC (know-your-customer) e-residency process, an individual can claim citizenship in Liberland and participates in the state's political process.

Liberland and Its Liberty

Just as Liberland embraces minimal governmental interference and promotes freedom, it also encourages financial innovation. It has Bitcoin reserves and its blockchain system is operated by its people.

Liberland champions "sunset laws," or laws that automatically end after a certain period of time. The purpose for such advocacy is to "prevent outdated or unnecessary regulations from piling up," and in turn, promote individual freedom.