Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin has again criticized the Bitcoin community's enthusiasm for El Salvador and its president Nayib Bukele, saying that many Bitcoin advocates have ignored the fact that Bukele’s government is "not very democratic."

El Salvador was the world’s first nation to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, making it mandatory for merchants throughout the country to accept the largest cryptocurrency as a payment option. The move sparked widespread discontent among citizens and businesses.

First announced at the Bitcoin Miami conference in June 2021, El Salvador’s Bitcoin law has won Bukele plaudits from some of the loudest voices in Bitcoin. However, Bukele's regime has come under fire for its well-documented authoritarian tendencies and the forced nature of its Bitcoin rollout.

(by Andrew Asmakov)