From Convention to ratification: the Cardano Constitution

A resounding Yes to the question of whether the Constitution is approved to move forward for on-chain ratification. That was the decisive outcome of the Constitutional Convention held at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina, and the Hyatt Regency, Nairobi, Kenya, in early December 2024. Following the overwhelming support of 95% of delegates, the approved text was put to an on-chain vote on January 30, 2025. After reaching the DRep approval threshold of 75% and the unanimous approval of the Interim Constitutional Council (ICC), the Constitution was successfully enacted on chain on February 23.

The Convention was the culmination of more than a year’s worth of focused passion, dedication, and hard work by the global Cardano community, all with a singular vision in mind: the creation of a Constitution to guide Cardano's governance forward. The effort was, and continues to be, unprecedented – more than 1,400 Cardano community members representing 50+ countries participated in 63 global constitutional workshops, and further refinement of the Constitution continued through additional workshops with the voting delegates and alternates who were elected to represent each of the global workshops at the Convention. Input Output (IO) has captured some of the essence of the event and the community journey in a documentary film.

The approval achieved at the Convention and its subsequent on-chain ratification should not be viewed as the end of anything; rather, it is the end of the beginning, a time for all community members to continue working together to drive further evolution and adoption of Cardano's on-chain governance platform.

Read on for a summary of the Constitutional Convention, including daily highlights and other key moments providing insights to the final moments that shaped the Constitution.

Context

Cardano enthusiasts, developers, and researchers from across the world were in attendance. The Convention took place across two locations physically separated by thousands of miles, and both delegations were in constant communication, working side by side via video link. This led to collaboration and joint effort despite the distance and once again proved the power and viability of decentralization.

The Convention, day by day

Day 1 - December 4 – kick-off and deliberations

The first day focused on setting the stage, context and kicking off deliberations surrounding the Constitution’s contents.

• Welcome speech by Emiliano Yacobitti, vice dean of UBA. Mr. Yacobitti wished success for the event, and advocated for an ongoing connection with the Cardano ecosystem
• Charles Hoskinson, Input | Output (IO) CEO, gave his welcome and opening keynote address. He reflected on the journey to this moment over the past 10 years and why the next three days marked such significance, not just for the Cardano community but for everyone, everywhere. Charles remarked that ‘it’s a very rare thing to write a Constitution for a blockchain with a bigger GDP than several nation states.’
• Delegates worked through every segment of the Constitution, with a specific focus on Article IV (budget), and Appendix II (key term definitions), engaging in several rounds of live edits. Delegates reached near-unanimous consensus on Article IV's revised wording by the end of the day, and agreed on a plan of action to finalize Appendix II the following day.
• During a memorable and lighthearted moment, attendees in Nairobi got on the stage and began dancing. Attendees in Buenos Aires soon joined for a shared, intercontinental dance session!

Day 2 - December 5 – final deliberations and voting

Finalizing deliberations and holding the vote. A truly historic moment for Cardano and the entire blockchain ecosystem worldwide.

• The Convention made headlines across some of the world’s most prestigious crypto/blockchain-specialized outlets. Cointelegraph, Africa Business Insider, and Criptonoticias published stories about the event.
• Delegates debated and then brought to the floor a motion to remove the definitions from the Constitution’s appendix, which passed with the provision that definitions must be provided along with the Constitution's ratification.
• Certain Delegates attending the Convention made their case to be elected into leadership positions for the Cardano Constitutional Delegates Special Committee for finalizing the Definition of Terms for the Constitution.
• Final edits were made to the Constitution. The delegates reviewed the changes to arrive at the final draft up for vote.
• Before the delegates cast their votes, Charles spoke to underscore the importance of the decision and urged them to reject the current draft if they felt that any part of it could pose a risk to the ecosystem.
• Voting took place, with an overwhelming 95% of Delegates (60 out of 63) voting Yes.
• Jubilant scenes erupted after news broke about the 95% Delegate backing of the Constitution.

Day 3 - December 6 – Constitution signing

The Convention's final day became a time for celebration and reflection, culminating in the signing of the Constitution, a powerful symbol of unity and collective vision for decentralized on-chain governance.

• Remembrance of Phil Chang and Matthew Plomin, respected members of the community who sadly passed away recently and after whom the governance hard forks are named.
• Delegates in Buenos Aires and Nairobi delivered moving presentations on how Cardano has impacted their lives and those of people in their communities. Members of the Cardano Civics Committee walked through the process of the first draft of the Constitution.
• Charles delivered an emotional speech, during which he expressed his deep gratitude and pride for the Cardano community, referred to the ceremony as the 'end of the beginning,' and recognized the moment as the realization of a dream.
• The signing ceremony took place with IO’s Tim Harrison (EVP community & ecosystem) acting as master of ceremonies. Constitutional Drafters and Delegates accompanied with Alternates were invited to stand up and officially sign the document in a ceremony that incorporated signatures of attendees in both Buenos Aires and Nairobi.

Looking ahead

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a Constitution ‘establishes and defines the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it.’

Such a definition can be extrapolated to a blockchain ecosystem, and more specifically, to Cardano. The new Constitution sets out the fundamental principles and guidelines that will govern the Cardano Ecosystem going forward, the actions and necessity of institutions that will uphold such principles, and the rights and responsibilities of the Cardano community.

It is fair to say, though, that no Constitution is ever perfect, nor is it final. Nevertheless, the Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Constitution establishes a solid and firm foundation that allows the Cardano ecosystem to grow and thrive under an innovative governance structure while providing room to evolve alongside the dynamism of the Cardano blockchain and community.

As Charles said, ‘the ratification of the Constitution is not the end of the journey; it simply is the end of the beginning.’

The Cardano Constitutional Delegates Special Committee, responsible for finalizing the Definition of Terms for the Constitution, has since spent over 500 hours drafting definitions and calling out the areas identified throughout the drafting process which need to be developed, learned from and matured.

Learn more and get involved

The creation of the Constitution has been a remarkable endeavor for the whole Cardano community. Watch this video to learn more about the Constitution and get involved.

1. Learn about the Constitution and the process of creating it in this video and you can review the document here.
2. Catch further video highlights from the event.
3. Become a DRep or delegate to one who shares your views.
4. Keep an eye out for governance workstreams and join Intersect to contribute.

A final word

Charles has publicly recognized the signing of the Constitution as one of the proudest moments in his professional career and the great significance of this event for the blockchain industry. The ratification of the Constitution marks another historic milestone. 2025 will be a monumental year, one of learning and continuing to drive forward Cardano’s future as a community-governed, decentralized ecosystem.

Special mention to Tim Harrison, Matthew Capps, and Ivan Krakoze, whose contributions greatly enhanced this article.