President of Kazakhstan Tokayev: introduce state regulation of prices for 19 socially significant goods
Photo: Kamshat Abdirayym / RIA Novosti
On Wednesday, January 5, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, instructed the government to introduce state regulation of prices for socially significant products. This is stated in a statement following a meeting on the socio-economic situation in the country, published on the president's official website.
Also, the head of the republic instructed to consider the need for a moratorium on increasing utilities for the population for a period of 180 days.
Socially significant products in Kazakhstan include 19 goods, including flour, bread, pasta, salt, eggs, buckwheat, rice, sugar, sunflower and butter and others.
Also, the head of the republic proposed to introduce temporary state regulation of prices for liquefied gas, gasoline and diesel for a period of 180 calendar days. He instructed the Prosecutor General's Office to investigate the price collusion in the sale of liquefied gas.
Earlier Tokayev said that the government, in particular, the Ministry of Energy, is to blame for allowing a protest situation in connection with the increase in prices for liquefied gas.
On January 2, protests against the rise in fuel prices began in Kazakhstan, and on January 4, protesters clashed with security forces on Republic Square in Alma-Ata. Law enforcers used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protests. In Alma-Ata and in the Mangistau region, a state of emergency was introduced until January 19, during the period of the state of emergency a curfew was declared from 23.00 to 7.00.
