President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: the power will not fall, the calls of the protesters are illegal
Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev. Photo: Evgeny Biyatov / RIA Novosti
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev on Tuesday, January 4, addressed the nation in Russian. His words are reported by TASS.
In his address, Tokayev said that the government would not fall, and called on compatriots to be prudent.
The president also called on citizens not to succumb to provocations “inside and outside”, calling the protesters' appeals absolutely illegal. According to him, what is needed now is not a conflict, but mutual trust and dialogue.
Earlier on January 4, Tokayev addressed the participants in the “gas” protests in the country, stating that the government had decided to reduce the price of liquefied gas in the Mangistau region to 50 tenge per liter (8.5 rubles). He also asked the demonstrators “not to follow the calls of destructive individuals interested in undermining the stability and unity of society.”
Motorists in the Mangistau region of Kazakhstan began protesting against rising gas prices for cars on January 2. They demanded to reduce the cost of liquefied fuel, which rose sharply from 60 to 120 tenge (from 10.1 to 20.3 rubles) per liter. In some cities, protesters also called on the first president of the republic, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to withdraw from politics.
