MOSCOW, January 5. /TASS/. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev may announce the government’s dismissal on Wednesday morning, Kazakhstan’s Zakon.kz news portal reported, citing own sources.
The president imposed a two-week state of emergency and a curfew in the country’s largest city of Almaty and the southwestern Mangistau Province early on Wednesday. The presidential decree prohibits strikes, peaceful gatherings and mass events in the above-mentioned areas, and restricts inbound and outbound traffic to Almaty. The president also ordered to temporarily seize weapons and ammunition from individuals and legal entities.
On January 2, crowds took to the streets in the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau in the Mangistau region, protesting against high fuel prices. According to them, the price per liter of liquefied gas increased to 120 tenge ($0.27) since January 1, so the demonstrators demanded to halve it, to 50-60 tenge ($0.11 - $0.13). The president commissioned the government to assess urgently the situation in the region, taking into account economic feasibility and legal issues. The government commission arrived in Aktau and commenced work. On Tuesday, after the talks with protesters the commission announced the price of liquefied gas would be brought down to 50 tenge in the Mangistau region.