Cardano Hits Major Governance Milestone Post-Plomin Hard Fork

Cardano has reached a significant milestone weeks after a successful Plomin hard fork. According to an X post by the Cardano Foundation, the Cardano Constitution has now been ratified, paving the way for a more robust on-chain governance framework.

This newly ratified Constitution lays the foundation for on-chain governance, clear rules, transparency and accountability in decision-making on the Cardano network. By establishing a structured governance model, the Constitution ensures that all ADA holders have a direct role in shaping Cardano’s future. The milestone represents a major step forward in decentralizing decision-making and promoting community-driven development.

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The Cardano Constitution is the culmination of months of rigorous discussions, interactive workshops and extensive community input. Its ratification reflects a consensus among stakeholders, including broad support from DReps and the ICC.

The milestone comes post-Plomin hard fork, which was activated on Jan. 29 this year.

Cardano’s governance journey

Cardano announced the Chang Hard Fork in April 2024, a two-part network update that enables on-chain governance and achieves the fundamental goal of Cardano’s final roadmap phase (Voltaire). Voltaire takes the final steps toward Cardano’s self-sustainability via on-chain voting, off-chain mechanisms, and institutions like the member-based organization Intersect.

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Phase one began on Sept. 1, 2024, initiating a technical bootstrapping phase that sets the stage for decentralized voting and governance actions.

Phase two, which is the Plomin Upgrade, sees that Cardano’s on-chain governance is fully online as the Cardano Constitution is finalized and ratified. This phase empowers ADA holders to direct technical changes and Treasury withdrawals through the introduction of a new user role and Delegate Representatives (DReps), who can vote on governance proposals on their behalf.

The Plomin hard fork shifts governance to DReps, SPOs and the Constitutional Committee, who will govern all areas of the network via an on-chain voting and treasury system based on CIP-1694. This shifts responsibilities from the IOG, Cardano Foundation and EMURGO, which had previously held all seven governance (genesis) keys.