Because Liberland will have many government services conducted by DAO’s I will for the case of simplicity I will also have a DAO managed category. Liberland will already be breaking new ground in having their ambassadors elected annually, could there be any other breakthroughs Liberland could take on? Let’s dive in!
Tailoring Government Roles for Liberland: A Libertarian Evaluation of US Positions
Liberland’s ethos is built on minimal government interference, voluntary participation, blockchain integration, and individual sovereignty. While the micronation aims for the smallest possible state—relying heavily on private contracts, arbitration, and decentralized systems—it’s useful to examine common US government positions across federal, state, county, and city levels. This helps identify which roles, if any, might be necessary for legitimacy, external relations, and basic functions, even if they stretch the “limited government” ideal.
For each position, I’ll evaluate its suitability for Liberland based on:
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Elected: Direct vote by citizens/e-residents (or via blockchain tokens like LLM/LLD for DAO compatibility), to ensure accountability.
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Appointed: By the President, Congress, or another official, with short terms (e.g., 1 year for ambassadors) to prevent entrenchment.
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DAO-Managed: Handled by a Decentralized Autonomous Organization, where token holders vote on actions via smart contracts. This fits Liberland’s blockchain focus, offloading functions to voluntary, community-driven entities (e.g., a medical DAO for coroner duties or a surveying DAO for land records).
We’ll prioritize DAOs for non-core functions to minimize central authority. Liberland already has a Congress (elected via direct or liquid democracy) and an appointed President (selected by Congress for a fixed term, e.g., 4 years, to avoid popularity contests). Ambassadors serve 1-year appointed terms. The Sheriff and Archivist-General are retained as elected roles for enforcement and records continuity. The Chancellor (Minister of Finance) is appointed by the President with Congress approval.
Below, I go through common US positions by level, grouping similar roles to avoid redundancy, and recommend adaptations for Liberland. Please note that as of the time of publishing Liberland still operates under a provisional government and that terms of office, positions, and methods of gaining office are subject to change, these are either 1) the current positions of methods of gaining office or 2) a proposed structure that will be implemented once a constitution has been passed.
Federal-Level Positions
These handle national affairs like foreign policy, finance, and defense. In Liberland’s tiny scale, most are irrelevant or privatized (e.g., no standing army).
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President/Vice President
US: Elected every 4 years.
Liberland: Appointed by the Senate from one their own for a 5-year term (term length may be different) to focus on merit over elections. Vice President appointed by the President person is also a Senator. -
US Senators/Representatives (Congress)
US: Elected; bicameral legislature.
Liberland: Elected Congress (currently 7 seats, to expand up to 21 every 3 months currently via blockchain voting). No separate Senate/House—unicameral for simplicity. -
Cabinet Secretaries (e.g., Secretary of State, Treasury, Defense, etc.)
US: Appointed by President, Senate-confirmed.
Liberland: Appointed by Prime Minister with Congress approval, but only 4 ministers in total (Minister of Finance, Minister of Justice, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Interior). Most others (e.g., Defense) unnecessary—defense via private security or mutual aid DAOs. -
Ambassadors
US: Appointed by President, Senate-confirmed.
Liberland: Popularly elected for 1-year terms. -
Federal Judges/Supreme Court Justices
US: Appointed by President, Senate-confirmed; lifetime tenure.
Liberland: Only composed of a Supreme Court which is to be appointed by the President and confirmed by Congress. -
Agency Heads (e.g., FBI Director, SEC Chair, Federal Reserve Board)
US: Appointed by the President confirmed by the Senate.
Liberland: DAO-managed for regulatory-like functions (e.g., a Finance DAO overseeing voluntary blockchain standards instead of a central bank).
State-Level Positions
States manage education, law enforcement, and resources. Liberland’s scale makes these local equivalents.
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Governor/Lieutenant Governor
US: Elected; executive head.
Liberland: Absorbed into President role.
Lt. Governor is the Vice President. -
Secretary of State
US: Elected/appointed depending on the state; handles elections, records.
Liberland: Merged with elected Archivist-General for records/notary duties; elections via blockchain, no person needed for that role. -
Attorney General
US: Elected/appointed; chief legal officer.
Liberland: Role absorbed into the Minister of Justice. -
State Treasurer/Comptroller/Auditor
US: Elected; manages finances, audits.
Liberland: Role absorbed into Minister of Finance, with audits by an independent third party, possibly a DAO. -
Superintendent of Education/Insurance/Agriculture Commissioner
US: Elected/appointed; sector-specific.
Liberland: DAO-managed entirely (e.g., Education DAO for voluntary standards, Agriculture DAO for land use in the 7 km² territory). No central oversight needed. -
State Supreme Court Justices
US: Elected/appointed.
Liberland:Role absorbed into the Liberland Supreme Court.
County-Level Positions
Counties focus on local services like law enforcement and records. These align well with Liberland’s minimal needs.
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County Commissioners/Supervisors/Board
US: Elected; legislative body.
Liberland: Merged with elected Congress. -
Sheriff
US: Elected; law enforcement head.
Liberland Fit: Elected every 2 years, independent like US county sheriffs—focuses on minimal enforcement, bounties, and rights protection. DAO integration for posse/militia coordination. -
District/County Attorney
US: Elected; prosecutes crimes.
Liberland Fit: Appointed by Minister of Justice; limited to prosecutions on rare public disputes. Most prosecutions via private DAOs. -
Assessor
US: Elected/appointed; values property for taxes.
Liberland: DAO-managed -
Treasurer
US: Elected; collects/manages funds.
Liberland: Handled by Minister of Finance -
Recorder/Clerk
US: Elected; maintains public records.
Liberland: Elected Archivist-General who is to be the custodian of the blockchain for immutable records. -
Coroner/Medical Examiner
US: Elected/appointed; investigates deaths.
Liberland: DAO-managed by a medically connected DAO—token holders (doctors/medical professionals) vote on investigations via blockchain voting for transparency and expertise. -
Surveyor
US: Elected/appointed; maps land boundaries.
Liberland: DAO-managed—uses blockchain/GIS tools for voluntary land claims in the disputed territory. -
Auditor
US: Elected; financial oversight.
Liberland: Conducted by third party contractors for voluntary audits. -
Public Administrator/Health Officer
US: Appointed; manages estates/health.
Liberland: DAO-managed (e.g., Health DAO for any public health advisories, could be the same one as the Coroner, voluntary only). -
County Executive/Manager/Administrator
US: Elected/appointed; executive operations.
Liberland Fit: Absorbed into thr President.
City/Municipal-Level Positions
Cities handle urban services. In Liberland, these would be hyper-local, managed by private associations.
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Mayor
US: Elected/appointed; city executive.
Liberland: Role absorbed into the President; otherwise, private community leads. -
City Council Members
US: Elected; local legislature.
Liberland Fit: Merged with Congress. -
City Attorney
US: Elected/appointed.
Liberland Fit: Role absorbed into prosecuting attorney. -
City Treasurer/Clerk
US: Elected/appointed.
Liberland: Chancellor and Archivist-General cover these roles. -
City Manager
US: Appointed; administrative head.
Liberland: Role absorbed into Minister of Interior. -
Police Chief/Fire Chief
US: Appointed.
Liberland Fit: No public police/fire—private security DAOs. Sheriff oversees any escalations. -
Planning/Zoning Officials
US: Appointed.
Liberland Fit: DAO-managed (specifically under the CLT-DAO hybrid for voluntary land-use agreements). -
Public Works Director
US: Appointed; infrastructure.
Liberland: Infrastructure DAO, funded voluntarily.
Why This Structure Fits Liberland’s DAO-First Approach
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Elected Roles (Minimal): Congress, Sheriff, Archivist-General—for direct accountability in core areas like legislation, enforcement, and records.
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Appointed Roles: President, Ministers, Ambassadors—kept lean, with short terms and Congress oversight.
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DAO-Managed (Majority): Most specialized functions (e.g., coroner via medical DAO, surveyor via a different DAO) decentralize power, align with blockchain, and make them opt-in. This reduces government bloat while allowing community governance via tokens.
In a full DAO transition, all roles could migrate to on-chain voting without constitutional changes. This setup ensures Liberland remains libertarian while borrowing US legitimacy where needed. If scaled, DAOs can handle growth without expanding the state.