On June 14, a coup was initiated in the Micronational Assembly by Jebediah Powell, the leader of Wetherill, who is currently serving as a Council Member and formerly served as the Chairman. The coup was initiated following calls for reform in the MA and growing frustration with the state of the organization.
At 4:13 PM Unueco Time on June 14, Jebediah Powell posted an announcement on the MA Discord Server concerning the start of the coup and declaring the removal of Chairman Jonathan Gundy and Chief Justice Matthew Laptev. Additionally, Powell announced the restoration of membership to Saspearian.
“I AM LAUNCHING A COUP AGAINST JONATHAN GUNDY AND MATTHEW LAPTEV. THEY HAVE BEEN DEPOSED. I AM RESTORING THE MEMBERSHIP OF SASPEARIAN.”
Jebediah Powell
June 14, 2025
Within the MA, reactions to this move have generally been positive, with certain member states opposing the coup. Both Jonathan Gundy and Matthew Laptev had expressed opposition to the coup. Matthew Laptev has since withdrawn from the organization. Emperor Anthony I has expressed some support for the coup, commenting:
“I welcome the move to regrant membership to Saspearian. Considering the circumstances of the trial, I would say that overturning the sentencing was justified, as I never intended to go against the MA, but I was convicted on the assertion that I attempted to revolt. With that being said, I believe the next step should be to get the MA back up and running. The state of the organization has been very dire, and it urgently needs to be addressed. We can help the MA advance and restore activity, stability, and cooperation to the organization.”
Anthony I
June 14, 2025
Anthony I later wrote that he believes there were some alternative options that might have also worked, adding:
“While I support the move to regrant membership, I think there are some alternative options that might have also worked in the situation. Since Matthew Laptev was the Chief Justice, delegates could have initiated a vote of no confidence. However, since the Chairman oversees the appointment of justices, this may have resulted in a gridlock. According to Article IV of the MA Charter, the General Assembly could appoint Justices if there is an “unjustified extended period of time” for no nominations from the Chairman, though the Charter does not define when this would be possible.”
Anthony I
June 15, 2025
Nonetheless, the Emperor has signaled support for the coup, expressing hope that the MA will experience renewed growth and activity.
Following Saspearian’s restoration of membership, Powell also declared that the trial decision, which prohibited Saspearian from holding membership, was overturned. This trial, which occurred in February 2025, also led to the removal of Anthony I as the Chairman and the removal of membership of Nenggog, Agatonia, and Diclantis due to accusations of plagiarism surrounding involvement in the Union of Micronations (UOM).
In the months following this trial, Jonathan Gundy became the Chairman, and the MA struggled with internal inactivity. Additionally, certain discussions emerged regarding potential reforms to the organization. Despite only holding Observership and being outside leadership at the time, Saspearian remained active and participated in these discussions.
Upon learning of the coup, Nenggog rejoined the MA as a full member on June 15. Nenggog had been an Observer in the MA following the trial, but later withdrew on March 3 by decision of a national vote.
It is unclear what the next steps might be for the MA, but it has been speculated that there will be efforts to restore activity and stability to the organization.