Asgardia: space nation elects British MPs
Former Lib Dems join Tory MP as 11 British citizens chosen to govern world’s first space nation

Three current and former British politicians have been elected as Members of Parliament for Asgardia, the first ever “space nation”.
Conservative MP Nigel Evans is joined by former Lib Dems Lembit Opik and Parmjit Singh Gill, along with eight other Britons in the new 147-seat parliament, which is tasked with representing the best interests of more than 200,000 Asgardian citizens from all over the world.
A pet project of Russian scientist and billionaire Igor Ashurbeyli, the Space Kingdom of Asgardia is the world’s first “virtual nation”, and has its very own constitution, flag, anthem, cryptocrureny and sovereign territory on the Asgardia-1 Satellite, currently in orbit around the Earth
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In his Asgardian election manifesto, Evans, who is the president of the parliamentary space committee, said that he would “be honoured to use [his] 30 years in professional politics to help Asgardia become a nation that lives up to the human potential which inspired it.”
He also committed to helping the Asgardian Parliament grow as “a political force for Asgardian legislation and policy-making.”
Former Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik cited his 30 years of political experience, including his work leading the UK Parliamentary campaign on the threat from near-earth objects - meteors that could collide with us - and expressed his ambition for Asgardia to inhabit space peacefully.
“As the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, the country is liberated to invest in a truly global space community,” he said. “Asgardia welcomes British citizens who share the dream of human opportunities in space for all countries, not just the privileged few who can afford a presence in space.”
The first meeting of Asgardia’s parliament due to take place later this month in Austria.
Ashurbeyli himself will be inaugurated as the first Head of Nation at the Hofburg Palace on 25 June, the space journal Room reported last month. About 130 members of the newly formed parliament will witness the “first commission of leadership for an off-planet nation”, it said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 hilariously sparse cartoons about further DOGE cuts
Cartoons Artists take on free audits, report cards, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: March 30, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
The New Jersey 'UFO' drone scare
In the Spotlight Reports of mysterious low-flying aircraft provoked outlandish theories, but old-fashioned hysteria appears to have been to blame
By The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published