--- title: "Crypto Bro and Alleged Fraudster Appointed Leader of a Tiny “Micronation” in Eastern Europe" description: "In the micronation of Liberland, a crypto bro who's been accused of fraud has just become one of the most powerful men in the tiny country. " date: "2024-10-12" modified: "2024-10-12" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/crypto-bro-liberland-election" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Future Society" tags: - "crypto" - "eastern europe" - "elections" - "the digest" --- # Crypto Bro and Alleged Fraudster Appointed Leader of a Tiny “Micronation” in Eastern Europe ![In the micronation of Liberland, a crypto bro who's been accused of fraud has just become one of the most powerful men in the tiny country. ]() *\Image: MelfarraTron / Futurism\* ## Liber Free A crypto bro who's been accused of fraud has just become one of the most powerful men in a [2.7-square-mile, ]()[self-proclaimed]()[ "micronation" of Liberland](). As [*Quartz* reports](), crypto network Tron founder Justin Sun was elected this week in a so-called "[blockchain-based election]()" as the Speaker of Congress for the tiny state [wedged on previously unclaimed wetlands]() between Croatia and Serbia. Shortly thereafter, the [disputed country]()'s Czech-born [right-wing libertarian]() president and founder Vít Jedlička nominated Sun to be the country's prime minister as well, effectively putting him in charge of two of Liberland's three most powerful positions. "The election process, governed by a simple set of rules, was entirely algorithmic, providing transparency," reads a statement from Liberland's spokespeople, [per *Cointelegraph*](). "This system has a unique ability to eliminate doubt regarding election outcomes, a challenge faced by many countries still relying on traditional methods." Yes, we're aware that this all sounds like madlibs — and reader, we're just getting started. ## Baby Country Sun, as *Quartz* notes, gained notoriety in the crypto world last year when the US [Securities and Exchange Commission accused him]() and his assorted companies — which, strangely enough, also includes the firm [formerly known as BitTorrent]() — of illegally manipulating the price of Tron tokens to inflate their value. Despite all this, Jedlička insists that the Tron founder's blockchain expertise is what the nine-year-old micronation needs to become decentralized, which has been its goal since the Czech libertarian founded the so-called "[anarcho-capitalist utopia]()" in April 2015. According to a 2023 [deep dive from *Cointelegraph*](), Jedlička found out about the tiny tract of land that was to become his country by literally Googling "terra nullius," the Latin for "no man's land," in 2014. It's hard to say how many people inhabit the tiny microstate because its [website only makes passing mention]() of its permanent inhabitants as "campers, adventurers, and people living on ships." As the country's founder and president told the crypto website last year, Liberland will eventually be entirely blockchain-based — and again, we're not quite sure how that works out, either. "Everything, including Congress, the land registry, the courts system and budgeting, will be registered on the blockchain," Jedlička told *Cointelegraph*. "This will allow for all decisions to be transparent and to happen at speed." With this election — which also saw a journalist, an entrepreneur, a former Croatian politician, and an IT professor being voted into the tiny country's Congress — it appears that Liberland is pushing forward with its goal of being a state fully based on the blockchain. While admittedly strange, we can't say that this is much weirder than [what's going on]() in the [United States' upcoming elections]() — and hey, at least Liberland doesn't have an [outdated Electoral College system]() to contend with. **More on elections of the future:** [*Deranged Mayor Promises "No More Fat People" With Free Ozempic Shots*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()