NUR-SULTAN, January 5. / TASS /. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has requested to introduce state regulation of prices for socially important food items, the press service stated on Wednesday.
"[It is necessary] to introduce state regulation of prices for socially significant foodstuffs. This will be decided by [the regional heads] depending on the socio-economic situation in a particular region," the press service noted.
"The need for introducing a moratorium on raising utility tariffs for 180 days should be considered," the statement reads.
Tokayev also ordered to set up a public fund to solve the healthcare system problems and help children. Furthermore, the head of state requested to address the issue of subsidizing rents for secondary housing for socially vulnerable groups and start developing a law on bankruptcy of individuals.
On January 2, crowds took to the streets in the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau in the Mangistau region, protesting against high fuel prices. Two days later, the protests engulfed Almaty, where the police used flashbangs to disperse the crowd, as well as other cities, including Atyrau, Aktobe, Uralsk, Taraz, Shymkent, Kyzylorda, Karaganda and even Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan. 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 head of the state also accepted the government’s resignation. Its members will continue to perform their tasks until a new cabinet is formed.