Algorand Governance Period 15: xGov Council Election
A new governance period (GP15) of the general Algorand governance is starting on 30 June 2025 at 16:00 (UTC+0). The process includes some important changes compared to previous periods due to the ongoing transformation of the general governance and the xGov programs as well as the recently introduced staking rewards for block producers.
What is new?
No rewards
This will be the first general governance period without rewards. The governance rewards have been replaced with staking rewards for block producers that are securing the network.
Ad hoc schedule
The schedule of the governance periods has changed. The periods will be created only when there are important measures to be voted on rather than on a quarterly basis. They will consist only of a commitment phase followed immediately by a voting phase. The phases will be shorter — just one week for each phase. The governors must maintain their committed balance during the whole voting phase and vote on each measure for their votes to count. The voting can be done on the governance portal of Algorand Foundation.
Governance compatibility with staking
The voting power of governors equals their committed ALGO amounts. This means that for stakers that run a node themselves or use a peer-to-peer staking solution like Valar, nothing changes compared to the old governance system as these stakers always hold their funds in their wallets. They need to commit to the balance, keep it during the voting phase, and vote directly themselves.
Not all ALGO that is staked with other staking solutions will be supported this period. Users of Reti pools will not be able to vote, while liquid staking tokens will be supported. LP tokens that are paired with at least 10k ALGO will also continue to be supported, i.e. their ALGO portion.
What are the measures?
The governors will be able to vote to select the members of the new xGov Council. The council will help alleviate the burden on the Algorand Foundation of managing the xGov program. Initially, the council will have limited powers— deciding only whether a proposals in the xGov program does not comply with the program’s terms and conditions. The proposals themselves will be voted on by all xGov participants.
What is xGov?
The xGov program is meant to make more concrete decisions regarding the Algorand ecosystem compared to the general governance, thus requiring larger efforts and commitments from its participants. The program is initially focused on awarding public grants but expected to gradually take over more responsibility from the Algorand Foundation. The voting power in the xGov will equal the number of blocks an xGov participant has produced in a defined period. The program does not provide rewards for participation.
For election of the council members, governors will have the choice of voting: YES, NO, or ABSTAIN — to express either a positive or a negative support for each candidate, or to express that they do not have a strong preference for the candidate, e.g. due to lack of information about the candidate. The list of candidates with links to more information about them is available here. One of the co-founders of Valar, Uroš Hudomalj, is also running for a seat at the xGov Council.
To keep up-to-date with the evolution of Algorand governance programs, visit Algorand Forum: https://forum.algorand.co/c/governance/14
Disclaimer
This article does not constitute financial advice. Readers should conduct their own research and fully understand the risks before participating in any staking or governance programs. All information provided is based on available sources and is subject to change by the blockchain network and the respective entities that operate the programs.
Sources:
- Governor Guide 2025: https://forum.algorand.co/t/gov-governor-guide-2025/14690
- xGov Council Election Voting Mechanism: https://forum.algorand.co/t/xgov-council-election-voting-mechanism/14705
- xGov Council Election List: https://forum.algorand.co/t/xgov-council-election-2025/14709
- Governance eligibility: https://forum.algorand.co/t/official-announcement-for-reti-pooling-users-about-governance-period-15/14723
- xGov program portal: https://xgov.algorand.foundation/
- xGov council: https://forum.algorand.org/t/the-xgov-council-shaping-the-future-of-xgov/14035 and https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Abo8ndT0wYkPcGcWBWAjp1b9Dwq9mlm-HdvVwuSWsWM/edit?tab=t.0
- xGov pilot: https://forum.algorand.org/t/xgov-guide-post-alpha-pilot/12153
- xGov overhaul: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vT_YxrlnZFp_RzD1bpQgIRLbCtYLVh7UdOUabTQ0k6CDN2tryDTBFOdfhfnJZENqrRR1BV7azym8sy9/pub
- General Algorand governance portal: https://governance.algorand.foundation/governance-period-15/period-15-voting-session-1
