An organization, with ties to the El Salvador government, has disputed claims that the country's plans to create a haven for Bitcoin (BTC) enthusiasts have been abandoned, according to a recent Cryptonews article.
In late April, a number of Twitter users said that they had seen documentary evidence that the El Salvador Ministry of Public Works had confirmed that the Bitcoin City project "does not exist."
They added that the ministry had allegedly "made it clear" that the project, which initially was announced by President Nayib Bukele in 2022, was "only a publicity [stunt]."
However, the claims were challenged by Escape to El Salvador, an organization that claims to "assist ex-pats in gaining residency in El Salvador."
"Hearing odd rumors that Bitcoin City has been canceled - it most certainly has not," the organization wrote in an April 27 Twitter post. "This comes as someone posted this document from our public works department saying there are no plans registered for the development. This is because the plans are not yet formalized and registered. There is still a review process to perform and it will be a while before it advances. I just wanted to address that before it makes the rounds..."
Critics, however, are likely to reference that the original Bitcoin City proposals said work would begin "in 2022." Several BTC-related projects, such as BTC bonds, appear to have been either scaled back or put on indefinite hold.
Additionally, Bukele, who was once a vocal BTC supporter on Twitter, has largely refrained from posting about it in recent times, focusing more on his high approval ratings as he seeks an unprecedented second term as president. His Nuevas Ideas party currently has a supermajority in El Salvador's parliament.
Escape to El Salvador has close ties to the Bitcoin Beach project, a community of Bitcoin enthusiasts who transformed a small group of surfing villages into Bitcoin-powered economies. The project is thought by many to have been the main inspiration for Bukele's initial support of Bitcoin in 2021.
In September of the same year, El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as the national currency. Bitcoiners linked to Bitcoin Beach, such as the mononymous Jeremy, have been working on multiple related projects in the country.
