# Elections Mangrove DAO's general governance orchestrates the election of Council members for six-month terms, emphasizing a structured and transparent selection process. **Candidacy Process** Biannually, forum moderators initiate a new thread in the "[Councils/Membership](https://forum.mangrove.exchange/c/councils/membership)" category, inviting potential candidates to introduce themselves, their qualifications for the role, and their objectives for the term. This thread is made available at least one week before the election, allowing the community adequate time to evaluate each candidate. The requirements for candidates align with the distinct needs of each council: * **Protocol Council** (5 seats): Candidates should possess knowledge in Mangrove technology, specifically smart contracts and SDKs, strategy development on Mangrove, Ethereum/EVM technology, and web/crypto security. * **Ecosystem Council** (9 seats): Candidates are expected to have experience in DAO governance and operations, growth and incentive programs, crypto and traditional finance treasury management, marketing, and partnerships. **Election Mechanics** Elections are conducted on [Mangrove DAO's Snapshot space](https://snapshot.org/#/mangrove.eth), managed by the Ecosystem Council. This body oversees the inclusion of candidates and has the authority to exclude non-genuine applications, with all decisions transparently documented on the forum. The election comprises two separate votes: one for the Protocol Council and another for the Ecosystem Council, allowing voters to endorse multiple candidates up to the total number of seats available in each council. The voting period extends for a minimum of five days. Upon conclusion of the voting period, the [Guardians](https://docs.mangrove.exchange/general/governance/general-governance/guardians) are tasked with updating the council compositions based on the election outcomes, adding newly elected members and removing those whose terms have expired. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.mangrove.exchange/governance/councils/elections.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.