El Salvador President and Bitcoin BTC/USD advocate Nayib Bukele has made it to the Time’s List of 100 Most Influential People but his description is less than flattering.
What Happened: Time published a write-up by the Mexican Journalist Daniel Lizárraga who described Bukele as someone who “brooked no criticism or opposition.”
Lizárraga said that the Salvadoran El Faro newspaper, where he is an editor, published an investigation into negotiations between Bukele’s government and El Salvador’s gangs.
The president dismissed the report via Twitter and accused El Faro of lying.
See Also: How To Buy Bitcoin (BTC)
The journalist cited examples such as Bukele showing up at the country’s parliament surrounded by armed soldiers “in order to pressure lawmakers to approve his budget.”
In May, the president ordered the removal of the country’s Supreme Court judges. Lizárraga wrote that subsequently, new appointees to the court have ruled that presidents can serve two consecutive terms.
Bukele is named as one of the 100 most influential people by Time alongside Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk, Apple Inc AAPL CEO Tim Cook, and Ethereum ETH/USD co-founder Vitalik Buterin.
Why It Matters: Lizárraga said he was expelled from El Salvador in July.
According to a report from Committee to Protect Journalists, immigration authorities in the country notified Lizárraga that his work permit had been denied “because he could not prove that he is a journalist.”
As per CPJ, Bukele previously accused El Faro of money laundering but did not offer any evidence, and in 2019 Salvodaran authorities forbid the outlet from attending press conferences at Bukele’s residence.
Last week, El Salvador officially recognized Bitcoin as legal tender with Bukele declaring that he was “buying the dip," as the country added 150 BTC to its kitty.
El Salvador’s capital San Salvador saw violent protests against the adoption of BTC. A resident told Al Jazeera that it is "not going to work for [street food] vendors, bus drivers or shopkeepers."
The protests have not stopped, with thousands taking to the streets on the country's independence day on Wednesday against BTC. Protestors set fire to a BTC ATM in the capital, as per a Decrypt report.
Placards stating "We don't want Bitcoin" and "No to dictatorship," were reportedly held by the protestors.
A Reuters report which carried a poll by the local Central American University noted that 67.9% of 1,281 people polled disagree or strongly disagree with Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador.
Price Action: At press time, BTC traded 1.74% higher at $47,929.64
Read Next: El Salvador Adopting Bitcoin Is "An Inadvisable Shortcut": International Monetary Fund
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