In his address to parliament, Tokayev said that in general, the withdrawal of the “peacekeeping” contingent would take no more than ten days. Their functions will be taken over by the special units of the Ministry of Interior of Kazakhstan and the National Guard.
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The broadcaster, Dozhj, reports that Tokajev described the work of several state institutions during the protests as “unsatisfactory”, noting that employees of the National Security Committees had left their jobs in several cities. He also said that the government would “have to restructure” the Kazakh Development Bank, as it had “practically become a private” business “serving the interests of certain groups”.
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In his speech, Tokajev called the existing socio-economic situation in the country ineffective, from which oligarchic groups benefit the most. Their existence has affected the development of the free market and reduced the country’s competitiveness, he emphasized.
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Tokayev also announced that the raising of salaries for government officials and deputies will be frozen for five years.
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Protests against the sharp rise in liquefied gas prices began a week ago in Zhanaozen, in the southwest of the country. In the following days, however, protests took over the whole of Kazakhstan, and political demands began to emerge alongside economic ones. The protesters demanded, among other things, the complete departure of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his clan.
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Peaceful protests soon escalated into clashes with security services. Along with the capture of government buildings, attacks on police stations and the looting of shops began.
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Dozens of people have been killed in the violence, but the Interior Ministry has said almost 8,000 people have been detained by security forces.
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Tokajev requested the deployment of an ODKB contingent on the evening of January 5, when government forces had effectively lost control of Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city.
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