Girchi - More Freedom holds protest demanding adoption of bitcoin as legal tender
Current financial regulations only recognise Georgian lari (GEL) as legal tender. Photo: David Mchedlidze (RFE/RL)
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Girchi - More Freedom opposition party members have been selling coffee outside the National Bank of Georgia in USD and cryptocurrency earlier today to protest against the current financial regulations that only recognize Georgian lari (GEL) as legal tender.
The party members blame the National Bank for inflation, and say that the organisation is obliged to stabilise the prices in the country.
In addition, Girchi - More Freedom denounces the National Bank's latest decision to start regulating the cryptocurrency.
The Vice President of the National Bank Papuna Lezhava announced earlier that the central bank is planning to regulate the cryptocurrency market in order to combat money laundering.
Girchi - More freedom members blocked the State Security Office (SSS) entrances with their cars as a form of protest yesterday, demanding the imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili's transfer from prison hospital to a civil clinic, as well as a fully proportional electoral system and snap elections.
Police eventually detained 10 party members, while their leader Zurab Girchi Japaridze got fined.
El Salvador became the first country in the world to adopt bitcoin as legal tender in September 2021.
Girchi - More Freedom opposition party leader Zurab Girchi Japaridze has been fined, while 10 of his party members have been detained after blocking the entrances to State Security Service (SSS) buildings in six Georgian cities. Party members blocked the SSS office entrances with their cars as a form of protest, demanding the imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili's transfer from prison hospital to a civil clinic, as well as a fully proportional electoral system and snap elections.
The head of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) Koba Gvenetadze says annual inflation will be higher than earlier expected.
The number of people receiving social assistance in Georgia has reached 633,000 in October 2021, Social Service Agency reports. As of today, 17% of the Georgian population receive social assistance, while the total amount of allowance given to the socially vulnerable exceeded 43 million GEL (about $13.61 m. / €11.79 m.) in October.
The Consumer Price Index in October 2021 increased by 1.3% compared to the previous month, while the annual inflation rate in Georgia stood at 12.8%, the latest inflation data of the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) show.
Libertarian Girchi - More Freedom party has invited a 'witch' to 'put a hex' on the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia in response to their members being arrested at protest rallies over the last few days. The party claims that police arrested its members for 'no reason,' and maintains that the 'spell' will not be removed until all detainees are released.