openSUSE openSUSE Board Election 2025 has been announced

The openSUSE Board Election 2025 has officially been announced. Originally scheduled for November/December 2025, the election was postponed due to a backlog of tasks on the membership database. The Election Committee – Ariez Vachha, Edwin Zakaria, Lubos Kocman and Eddy Lareine – has now published the election schedule.

Two seats on the openSUSE Board are up for grabs as Simon Lees and Shawn W Dunn complete their mandate. This is a great opportunity for community members who want to help shape the direction of the openSUSE Project.

Key dates

• 27 February – Deadline for candidates to declare their intention
• 28 February – Candidate slate published
• 1 March – Voting opens
• 9 March – Results announced (ballots remain open for one week)

Who can participate?

Only active openSUSE members are eligible to vote. If you're a contributor but not yet a member, you can apply for membership at any time. Members who join after the candidate slate is published on 28 February can still vote, but will not be able to run as a candidate.

If your membership is approved after voting has begun, reach out to the election officials to inform them. Membership approval and voting in the election is not an automatic process. The election officials will use an up to data membership database for the election process on the 1 March when opening the ballots. Thus, membership approvals after that date have to be informed to the officials.

Details on how to become a member are available on the wiki: openSUSE:Members

Get involved

If you're interested in running, reach out to the Election Committee via their mailing list before the 27th of February. The announcement was made on the openSUSE Project mailing list and social media, and the election wiki page has been updated with full details.

The openSUSE Board plays a vital role in guiding the project. Whether you choose to run or simply cast your vote, your participation matters.