In El Salvador, several thousand people demonstrate against President Bukele

Several thousand people demonstrated on Sunday, October 17, in the streets of San Salvador to protest against the policies of the president, Nayib Bukele, in particular his decision to make bitcoin the second official currency of the country.

“Bitcoin, the scam”, “No to dictatorship”, “Democracy cannot be negotiated, it defends itself”, “Down with authoritarianism”, we could read on the signs brandished by the protesters, who paraded at the call of several political parties of left and right and organizations of all kinds.

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“People are starting to get tired of this authoritarian, undemocratic government. It leads us straight to the abyss with these bad ideas that harm the economy, like this bitcoin ”, said Ricardo Navarro, head of the environmental organization Cesta, one of the organizers of the event.

A man holds up a poster: “No re-election.  Respect for the Constitution strengthens democracy ”, during the demonstration in San Salvador on October 17, 2021.

Authoritarian inclinations

El Salvador became on September 7 the first country to make bitcoin legal tender, along with the US dollar, which became the country’s official currency two decades ago.

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The government justified this measure by the possibility of reducing the transfer fees on the sums sent to the country by the three million Salvadorians living abroad, including 2.5 million in the United States, and who represent 22% of the product. gross interior of the country.

But the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have expressed skepticism and warned El Salvador against the risks of the operation.

Nayib Bukele, 40, in power since 2019, enjoys tremendous popularity after shaking up the traditional parties that have dominated Salvadoran politics for thirty years. But his authoritarian inclinations earned him vehement criticism from his opponents and the international community.

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The World with AFP

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