Protesters in Kazakhstan demand a change of government and direct municipal elections

Protesters in Kazakhstan presented five demands to the authorities. This, as reported by haqqin.az, reports the ORDA Telegram channel.

In particular, they demand a change of government, direct elections of heads of each region and city, the return of the 1993 Constitution, an end to political persecution, the coming to power of a person not from the circle of the current political elite.

Earlier, Kazakh President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Askar Mamin and his government. He also took over the duties of chairman of the Security Council, a position that has been held to this day by the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. It was reported that Nazarbayev resigned from this post.

In his address to the nation, Tokayev said that the actions of the conspirators, who worked according to a carefully thought-out plan and were “financially motivated”, led to the unrest in the country. Tokayev also said that during the mass actions there were killed and wounded among the police officers, and promised a tough reaction. Tokayev promised to “come out with a new package of proposals” in the near future.

The protests in the country continue for the fourth day. Citizens rallied against a two-fold rise in prices for liquefied petroleum gas. The authorities announced their readiness to fulfill the main demand of the protesters and reduce gas prices. However, the protests continued, and on the eve and on the night of January 5, protesters clashed with security officials in Almaty.

In two regions and in Alma-Ata, a state of emergency was introduced with a curfew, a ban on mass events and strikes. The Internet does not work in the country and there are serious communication problems.