Justin Sun Gets Elected Prime Minister of the “Freest Country” in the World

A small libertarian nation in the middle of the Balkans has elected Tron founder Justin Sun as its new prime minister. The country, which hasn’t been recognized by any official regulatory body, had elections over the weekend and used a blockchain-based voting system.

“The election process, governed by a simple set of rules, was entirely algorithmic, providing transparency,” read a press release from the Office of the President of Liberland. “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.”

Sun, a newcomer to the unrecognized nation, will take the reins from Czech libertarian politician and right-wing activist Vít Jedlička, the founder of Liberland. It’s not clear what position he will hold moving forward, since he is also the sitting president.

According to DL News, Sun said, “Just as Vatican City represents a central spiritual authority for Catholics, Liberland will be the heart of the libertarian movement.” He added that his vision is to build upon the foundation of libertarian principles that form the essence of our nation.”

Liberland and Justin Sun did not immediately reply to a request for comment from The Defiant.

Blockchain-based Governance

In 2015, Jedlička claimed an uninhabited expanse of land on the west bank of Croatia along the river Danube in an area also known as Gornja Siga. According to the country’s website, it was proclaimed with the tacit consent of its parent country, Serbia.

Liberland has approximately 1,000 citizens, more than 4,000 e-residents, and over 700,000 applicants for citizenship. A person will be naturalized if they spend more than 25 days in the territory, according to the country’s website.

The self-proclaimed libertarian nation is entirely managed on-chain, with its governance structure and legislative body created on top of Substrate, a derivative of the Polkadot Virtual Machine. Native NFTs represent contracts like property deeds, vehicles, and other assets, and the territory is looking to use Soulbound NFTs in the future for citizenship purposes and government functions.

Dual Token System

On top of Liberland’s blockchain-based system, the territory uses a dual-token structure with a wide variety of uses.

LLD, or the Liberland dollar, is the operational token required to pay gas fees, run contracts, operate companies, and engage with courts. LLM, or the Liberland Merit, is the political token of Liberland, and is a governance token awarded for contributions to the nation's development.

Citizens use LLM to vote in elections and referendums and participate in “citizen headcount vetos” of passed legislation. There will never be more than 70 million merits.

The nation is currently drafting its constitution, which will be put to citizens for approval or rejection.

Liberland has claimed its fair share of political notoriety from high-ranking figures worldwide. Sporting a superhero costume with the mission of kicking the butt of Keynesians and collectivists, Argentine President Javier Milei claimed last year that he originates from Liberland, a land created based on property rights.

“A country that doesn’t pay taxes, a country that defends individual freedom, and where there’s a belief in the individual,” Milei said. “And there is no place for the collectivist s*n of a b*tch that wants to screw our lives.”

Liberland is an example of a new series of crypto-nations that have been popping up. Balaji Srinivasan, a renowned crypto investor, recently unveiled The Network School in Singapore. It is a three-month pop-up city that aims to experiment with emerging technologies like cryptocurrency and AI and create a blueprint for potential successors to nation-states.

Other nations include El Salvador, which adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021 but has been slow to massively adopt crypto rails.