The Cardano blockchain has ratified its first official constitution, surpassing the set threshold with an overwhelming 85% approval rate. The decision replaces Cardano’s interim constitution and locks in a new governance framework that will guide the ecosystem’s evolution.
Cardano Makes History
The announcement came during a livestream on February 18 from Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson, who revealed the voting results using real-time metrics from the platform’s governance tools. According to Hoskinson, “the Cardano Constitution replaced the interim Constitution 85% [Yes] to 6.62% [No]. Only 7.68% did not vote… The Constitutional committee threshold—67%—was the threshold. It’s unanimous. All seven constitutional committee members voted.”
The final vote required a 75% approval to pass, yet supporters cleared that mark by a comfortable margin. Hoskinson highlighted the significance of reaching such a decisive agreement: “Imagine the level of consensus you have to have to get 75% approval […] We did it here and we did it across the world with people all around who came to know each other through the process.”
He emphasized the level of community involvement in drafting and deliberating on the constitution, referencing more than 65 workshops, 1,800 participants, and a dedicated constitutional convention.
Although the vote has been finalized, Hoskinson noted that the constitution would be “locked in” at the next epoch change—an on-chain timing mechanism typically taking a few days to record final results. He expects the constitution to formally take effect around Thursday, marking the end of a two-year process and the transition from an interim governance model.
“It took a long long time, a lot of effort, a lot of people were involved […] a remarkable journey,” he said. “More than 65 workshops, 1,800 people, a constitutional convention… enormous amounts of debate […] But we did it.”
With the ratification, Cardano now has a governance layer that Hoskinson describes as “fully decentralized,” comparing its architecture to Bitcoin’s level of decentralization but with a formal mechanism for future updates. One of the most critical elements is the power of Cardano’s treasury, currently holding 1.5 billion ADA, which community representatives can allocate via on-chain governance votes.
The system also includes a Constitutional Committee that voted unanimously to adopt the measure. However, these initial committee members will eventually be replaced through a broader, fully decentralized election process in the second half of this year, as current terms expire in September.
“We have some more things ahead of us […] We have to get the product roadmap ratified, we have to get the budget ratified,” Hoskinson explained. “The interim Constitutional Committee members will now be replaced […] That means Cardano is basically a government—a living thing.”
Hoskinson stressed that the constitution will likely undergo updates, noting that the new framework is designed to iterate over time: “Because we’ve done this, we’ve now created a proof point […] we can do it again […] Cardano is a living organism; it’s a living ecosystem—a vibrant one.”
e called on community members to remain engaged, pointing to debates already underway about potential improvements to voting mechanisms—such as introducing quadratic voting or broader delegate structures—and determining possible compensation for key participants.
Beyond the immediate celebration, the Cardano founder underscored that this development places the network at the forefront of decentralized governance: “We have the largest governance layer now, which means we’re the smartest cryptocurrency ecosystem. We can crowdsource any idea, any strategy […] and not only can we crowdsource it, we can converge to a single common understanding.”
Hoskinson contrasted Cardano’s on-chain governance model with other cryptocurrencies that often face slow or contentious upgrades due to decentralized structures without formal voting systems. He argued that Cardano’s new constitution strikes a balance, allowing rapid evolution while preserving full decentralization.
The ratified constitution sets the stage for a series of additional governance votes. In the near future, the Cardano community will focus on ratifying the product roadmap and budget allocations. With the constitutional foundation in place, stakeholders expect more fluid, coordinated decision-making on technical upgrades—such as improved throughput, tooling for decentralized applications, and new features supporting interoperability.
Hoskinson concluded his livestream by reflecting on the broader impact of this milestone: “Thank you all for contributing to this moment, to this day. Cardano has a constitution. Cardano has a government. Every ADA holder now has a voice and because of that, Cardano is the global standard.”
At press time, ADA traded at $0.74.
