In a significant development in the Cardano blockchain ecosystem, the voting process for the Interim Constitutional Committee (ICC) began on June 13, marking a crucial step towards restructuring the governance model under the upcoming Chang hard fork. Voting, which allows ADA holders to select three new members for the ICC, is taking place via the Summon platform and will close on June 23, covering eras 491 and 492.
The ICC plays a crucial role during the technical start-up phase of the Chang’s hard fork, responsible for enforcing the provisional constitution and ensuring that governance actions are consistent with its mandates. Election results are expected to be announced on June 26.
Cardano founder shares key update amid criticism
Amid this crucial governance update, Pi Lanningham, CTO of Sundae Labs – a Cardano-based project –Express reservations about the current voting process, particularly regarding non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) surrounding the draft constitution.
Lanningham maintained: “I will not explicitly vote on the ICC election until IOG cancels all NDAs regarding the draft constitution. » He criticized the approach of Input Output Global (IOG), the development company behind Cardano, suggesting that their strategy could amplify concerns rather than repressing them, giving rise to unnecessary controversies.
By restricting open discussion around the project, Lanningham believes IOG is inadvertently fueling conspiracy theories and exacerbating discord within the community. He expressed: “The Cardano community as a whole does not have a lot of experience with nuance around complex topics (…) However, trying to NDA these early versions has the opposite effect, in my opinion; This amplifies concern and gives ammunition to conspiracy theorists.
This statement highlights a broader concern that secrecy could be counterproductive, particularly in a decentralized ecosystem where trust and community participation are paramount. Lanningham further criticized IOG’s approach to managing early releases and suggested alternative methods that could foster a healthier dialogue about the evolving governance structure.
He proposed that IOG proactively discuss the motivations behind controversial provisions and the reasons for their inclusion, thereby preemptively addressing potential controversies rather than reacting defensively. He argued that addressing potential controversies could reduce speculative noise and build a more resilient governance framework.
Responding to criticism and ongoing community debate, Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano and CEO of IOG, provided an update stating that the full governance package, including the ready-to-launch candidate node, the custody contract -body and provisional constitution, would probably be released soon.
“My understanding is that the entire package was going to be released with the release candidate node. So here is the candidate ready for use, the safeguard contract and the provisional constitution. I would bet on Friday or before,” Hoskinson wrote.
Chang Hard Fork and the ICC
The Constitution of Cardano – currently an off-chain information document according to CIP-1694– aims to capture Cardano’s core values and ensure its long-term sustainability. It highlights a vision that the constitution could evolve towards a framework focused on smart contracts.
Meanwhile, the ICC is designed to act as the guardian of this Constitutionwith mechanisms in place to replace it with specific governance actions if necessary, reflecting a strong and flexible governance framework aimed at both accountability and adaptability.
As Cardano approaches the Chang hard fork, the dynamics within its community and the ongoing governance model continue to be of crucial importance. The results of the ongoing vote and subsequent incorporation of the interim constitution will likely have long-term impacts on the blockchain operational and governance landscape.
At press time, ADA was trading at $0.392.
Featured image from LinkedIn, chart from TradingView.com
