> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.aqua.network/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.aqua.network/user-guides/how-to-use-aquarius-governance.md).

# Using Aquarius Governance

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.

### Proposal process

Proposals go through two phases before voting:

**1. Discussion phase (7 days)** — a mandatory discussion period, primarily on the Aquarius Discord server. Proposal creators gather community feedback, refine their ideas, and decide whether to proceed, edit, or abandon the proposal.

**2. Publication phase (up to 30 days)** — after the discussion phase, creators can publish the proposal for voting immediately or continue refining it. Each edit resets both the 7-day discussion and the 30-day publication window. A proposal not published within 30 days of its creation or last edit is marked as finished.

### Fees and rewards

Creating, editing, or publishing a proposal costs AQUA:

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

All fees are sent to the AQUA issuer wallet, effectively burning them. The fees exist to ensure proposals are well thought out before moving forward.

If a general governance proposal reaches quorum and finishes with more "For" than "Against" votes, the creator earns a **1.5 million AQUA** reward — covering the 1 million AQUA spent on creation and publication, plus a 500,000 AQUA bonus if no edits were made.

The creator reward applies to general proposals only. [Asset listing and delisting proposals](/governance/asset-registry.md) pay the same creation and publication fees, but an approved asset proposal earns no reward.

### Proposal queue and voting slots

Only one proposal can be in voting at a time — general governance and [asset listing proposals](/governance/asset-registry.md) share a single queue.

Voting happens in weekly **voting slots**: each slot runs from Monday 00:00:00 UTC to Sunday 23:59:59 UTC and holds exactly one proposal. When publishing, you choose a free slot from the next calendar week up to 6 weeks ahead; the current week cannot be booked. The proposal stays queued until its slot begins, then votes for that full week.

### Validity and quorum

To be valid, a proposal must reach a **20% quorum of the circulating ICE supply** — "For", "Against", and "Abstain" votes all count toward it. For example, with 50 billion ICE in existence, at least 10 billion ICE must participate in the vote.

A proposal with 100% "For" votes but less than 20% participation is automatically rejected. This ensures only widely supported proposals move forward.