The military completely cleared the Republic Square in Alma-Ata from participants in the riots, TASS reports. According to the TV channel “Khabar 24”, the residence of the president of the country and the building of the city administration (akimat) have been vacated.
According to eyewitnesses, there are wounded and killed in the area. Military and special equipment remain on the square.
Protesters seized the residence of the President of Kazakhstan in Almaty on January 5. It was reported that the building was on fire.
Yesterday, the president of the republic, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, introduced a state of emergency on its territory. Today the country’s Interior Ministry announced that everyone who refuses to lay down their arms will be destroyed. Yesterday, the head of state warned citizens about tough measures against the protesters.
Performances in Kazakhstan began after the New Year amid rising gas prices for cars to 120 tenge. Subsequently, the government announced a reduction in the cost of the energy carrier to 50 tenge, but this did not stop the protests.
As the first vice-president of the Center for Political Technologies, HSE professor Alexei Makarkin explained to Vedomosti, the rallies began for socio-economic and political reasons. According to the expert, the citizens of Kazakhstan are unhappy with the rise in prices, property inequality, tensions due to the dire consequences of the pandemic, as well as the fact that the country’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, having left office and transferred most of his power functions to Tokayev, did not completely retire from politics and retains significant influence. and power levers.
Tokayev blamed “international terrorist gangs” for the riots. He replaced Nazarbayev as chairman of the Security Council and appealed to partners in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to help resolve the situation. In this regard, peacekeepers were sent to Kazakhstan.
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