The president of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree on the resignation of the government, reports news agency «NewTimes.kz».
In accordance with Article 70 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev decided:
This Decree is put into effect from the date of signing.
So how did the protests start?
On January 2 residents of Zhanaozen city protested and demanded a reduction in gas prices.
The protesters recorded a video message to the head of the Mangistau region Nurlan Nogayev and the head of Zhanaozen Maksat Ibagarov, demanding to reduce the cost of gas to 60 tenge per cubic meter.
The head of state Kassym-Jomart Tokayev gave an urgent instruction to the government of Kazakhstan to consider the situation in Zhanaozen.
The energy minister Magzum Mirzagaliyev made a presentation on the situation with liquefied petroleum gas. He stated that low fuel prices don’t stimulate the growth of fuel production.
Against of these rallies, employees of two oil fields ― «Kalamkas» and «Karazhanbas» refused to go to work. The situation was resolved as «KazMunayGas» promised to increase salaries for oil workers by 10%.
Meanwhile, the head of state Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that the government commission had begun work in Aktau. He also noted that demonstrators must show responsibility and willingness to dialogue.
The government commission met with activists gathered in the city of Aktau, where guarantees were given that those who were in the square wouldn’t be brought to justice.
Decisions on reducing the cost of liquefied gas and setting the price of 50 tenge per liter in the Mangistau region were announced at the meeting.
It also reported that after the Mangistau region, the cost of gas to 50 tenge will be reduced in Aktobe.
At night, the head of state made a video statement in connection with the rallies held in several cities of Kazakhstan. He called on the rally participants not to succumb to provocations from within and outside.
He signed decrees on the introduction of a state of emergency in the Mangistau region and the city of Almaty.
The curfew will be in effect in Almaty and Mangystau region as part of the state of emergency from January 5 to January 19, 2022.
On the fact of the unjustified overstatement of gas prices, the Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan has launched a pre-trial investigation against the management of the Kazakh Gas Processing Plant LLP. It was reported about the detention of the director of the Kazakh gas Processing plant and the head of the electronic trading platform for the sale of liquefied gas.