# How to use Aquarius Governance

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Aquarius Governance enables **AQUA holders** to shape the protocol through **proposals and voting**. Anyone can submit a proposal for community voting, but keep in mind that proposals lacking **clear benefits for the Aquarius or Stellar ecosystem** are unlikely to gain support.

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#### **Proposal Process**

Proposals go through **two key phases** before voting:

1️⃣ **Discussion Phase (7 Days)**

* A mandatory **7-day discussion period** takes place primarily on the **Aquarius Discord server**.
* Proposal creators gather **community feedback**, refine their ideas, and decide whether to **proceed, edit, or abandon** the proposal.

2️⃣ **Publication Phase (Up to 30 Days)**

* After the discussion phase, creators can **immediately publish the proposal for voting** or continue refining it for up to **30 days**.
* **Each edit** resets both the **7-day discussion** and **30-day publication window**.
* If a proposal is **not published within 30 days** of its creation or last edit, it will be **marked as finished**.

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#### **💲 Fees & Rewards**

Creating, editing, or publishing a proposal requires **AQUA fees**:

* **Creation:** 100,000 AQUA
* **Editing:** 100,000 AQUA (per edit)
* **Publication:** 900,000 AQUA

**Fee Mechanism:**

* All fees are sent to the **AQUA issuer wallet**, effectively **burning them** and creating a **deflationary effect**.
* Fees ensure proposals are **well-thought-out** before moving forward.

**Proposal Rewards:**

* If a proposal reaches **quorum (5% participation)** and **receives over 50% "For" votes**, the creator earns a **1.5 million AQUA reward**.
* This covers the **1 million AQUA spent on creation & publication fees**, plus a potential **500,000 AQUA bonus** if no edits were made.

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#### **✅ Validity & Quorum**

* To become **valid**, a proposal must reach a **5% quorum** of the **current circulating AQUA supply**.
* Example: If the circulating supply is **2 billion AQUA**, at least **100 million AQUA votes (5%)** must be cast for validity.
* A proposal with **100% "For" votes** but **less than 5% participation** is **automatically rejected**.

This system ensures that only **widely supported proposals** move forward, preventing low-interest changes from being implemented.