The Shiba Inu community is in its most defining moments as it kicks off its first election that will decide an interim president and set the course for the $7 billion token ecosystem’s future. With the fifth “Shib Year” now underway, some community members see the election as a significant step toward decentralization, with debates over leadership, transparency, and accountability heating up across the community.
What’s Happening Inside the Shiba Inu Community
In an August 4 post titled ELECTIONS, Shiba Inu’s lead developer, Shytoshi Kusama, announced that the community will choose a new lead visionary and councils for each DAO, calling it “the true birth of a network state.” The election announcement has brought long-standing frustrations to the surface, with some community members accusing Kusama of poor leadership, lack of transparency, and keeping too much control in the hands of a few.
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Woof Swap, a vocal voice in the Shiba Inu ecosystem, has been especially blunt, calling for leadership with “actual ability, not just visibility.” They wrote, “We don’t need an incompetent president,” and stressed that leaders must have the skills, strategy, and resources to guide the project forward.
Other long-time supporters, like Shiba Germany, have raised concerns about broken promises, such as the unfulfilled goal of activating 100 validators and onboarding a billion users. There is also unease about projects like SHY and POE, seen as distractions from Shiba Inu’s core goals, arguing that the election will only work if it leads to leaders aligned with Ryoshi’s original vision of transparency, decentralization, and shared responsibility.
How The Shiba Inu Major Electoral Process Will Work
The Shiba Inu elections will unfold in three main phases. First, open nominations will allow any member of the community to apply. The top ten nominees will move on to a debate stage, with live or recorded sessions hosted across platforms. A second vote will narrow the field to three finalists, who will then face a final vote one week later. The winner will serve as interim president until the position is formally approved, no later than four months after the start of “Shibizenship.”
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Voting will follow a “1 token = 1 vote” system with any SHIB ecosystem token – SHIB, BONE, TREAT, or LEASH. Kusama argues that the voting system is fair by giving more influence to those with the most invested in the ecosystem’s success, as they have the most at stake. But the Shiba Inu Foundation will still hold veto power, a point that has fueled claims the process is more “controlled democracy” than complete decentralization.
The interim president will coordinate the transfer of power, carry out the vision laid out in the “Shib White Paper,” establish the first congress of four DAO councils, and manage the community’s billion token economy.
Logistical details, including the exact dates for nominations, debates, and voting, will be announced soon. With millions of holders worldwide and billions in value on the line, the outcome of these elections will shape Shiba Inu’s direction for years to come.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView.com
