Hi @joanbp, to address your first question, the Foundation may appoint the first set of members for the first term of a representative structure as outlined in the Representative Structure Framework. As the Foundation creates these structures, being able to appoint the first set of members, still subject to governance approval, allows for the assurance of high quality members to fill new positions and effectively launch a new structure. The founding set of members has a large impact on the overall success (or failure) of a structure. We did voter interviews when this policy was established and the majority felt it was better to have the Foundation appoint a trusted group at initiation than to leave it open to chance via an open election process. This was especially true in the case of the Security Council, for example.
The proposed members were selected specifically for the balance of skillsets outlined in the eligibility criteria.