President of Kazakhstan Tokayev ousted Nursultan Nazarbayev from the post of head of the Security Council
Photo: RIA Novosti
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev dismissed his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev from the post of life head of the Security Council, took this position himself and promised to fight hard against the protests that gripped the country due to economic and social problems. This became known from the politician's television address to the nation, the full text of which was published by the Baza Telegram channel.
According to the head of state, he will begin to fulfill the duties of the head of the Security Council from Wednesday, January 5. He did not specify whether ex-President Nazarbayev will receive another state post. “This is a question of the security of our state. I am sure the people will support me, ”Tokayev said.
He stressed that the decision to remove Nazarbayev was dictated by the desire to ensure the country's security “at the numerous requests of citizens” to protect their lives amid the unrest.
As head of state – and as of today, President of the Security Council – [I] intend to act as tough as possible.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Tokayev called protesters bandits and reported deaths of servicemen
In his address, the head of state also called the demonstrations, the seizure of administrative buildings and the cases of attacks on security officials as intrigues of “bandit elements.” He said that on January 5, casualties appeared among the military sent to suppress the protests. At the same time, he refused to name the exact number of killed politicians.
They beat up servicemen, mock them, take them naked through the streets, abuse women, rob shops. The environment threatens the safety of all residents
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
The President added that the state of emergency, which was declared over the past two days in several regions of the country at once, became a forced measure designed to preserve “prosperity in multinational Kazakhstan.” He also suggested that some of the protesters could take to the streets for money received from unknown sources.
“Attention is drawn to the high level of organization of the hooligan elements. This testifies to the carefully thought-out plan of action of the conspirators, who are financially motivated, ”the head of state said.
The President of Kazakhstan refused to flee the capital and announced political reforms
During his appeal, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also rejected information from certain media and Telegram channels about his intention to leave the country. He explained that he will remain in the capital of the republic and will make every effort to pacify the situation.
It is my constitutional duty to be with the people. Together we will overcome this black strip in the history of Kazakhstan. Let's get out of it strong
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
He also promised to soon publicly come up with new proposals for the political transformation of the state and assured that he remains an adherent of “consistent reforms.” At the same time, the president did not say what specific measures the authorities plan to take to transform the political system.
Thousands of protests covered all regions of Kazakhstan
By the evening of January 5, the demonstrations, which began due to a sharp increase in gas prices in certain areas, spread throughout the country: from small villages to cities with a population of over one million. After the country's leadership made concessions and promised to introduce state regulation on prices for energy, fuel and food, the protesters' economic demands turned into political ones: new elections at all levels, lustration of people from Nazarbayev's “clan”, dissolution of parliament.
The most large-scale clashes took place in the former capital of the country, Alma-Ata. Several thousand protesters broke into the presidential residence and set it on fire. Also it became known about the seizure of the office of the TV channel “Mir24”. The demonstrators demanded that the journalists give them access to the live broadcast.
In addition, the protesters began to erect barricades in the city, taking away firearms, shields and clubs from the security forces. The militiamen themselves retreated from the city center. There were reports of injuries to ambulances and the hijacking of a fire engine.
Information about the disarmament of the security forces also came from other regions of Kazakhstan. In particular, in the city of Aktau, demonstrators armed with metal rods seized a truck with Kazakh soldiers and took their sapper blades. The servicemen offered no resistance.
In Aktobe, on the other hand, the security forces tried to take the administration away from the protesters. Due to powerful explosions on the porch of the building, several people were injured, and they tried to disperse the crowd with water cannons. This attempt ended unsuccessfully, law enforcement officers were unable to oust the disaffected from the city center.
The authorities of the republic cut off the Internet, mobile communications and television
In Kazakhstan, against the background of mass rallies, all mobile networks were turned off. Residents of the country cannot use the Internet. Messengers are not available, in particular What's App and Telegram.
As noted by the GlobalCheck project to monitor the Russian Internet blocking system, Kazakh regulatory authorities have also begun to block VPN services and Telegram web pages. Mobile operators explained the termination of access to their services “for reasons beyond their control.”
In addition, four large Kazakh TV channels stopped broadcasting at once: Mir 24, KTK, NTK and Channel One Eurasia. So far, only one is working – the state channel “Khabar 24”.
