It is the greatest challenge to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s autocratic rule, with initial public anger over a spike in fuel prices escalating to increased dissatisfaction with the government over corruption, living standards, poverty and unemployment in the oil-rich, former Soviet country, according to human rights groups.
On January 5, protesters reportedly stormed the airport in the country’s largest city, Almaty, violently broke into government buildings and set fire to the city’s central administration, local media reported. There were also reports of deadly clashes with police and military, a nationwide internet outage and damage to buildings in three major cities.
Local media reported that eight police officers and National Guard personnel were killed and more than 300 officers injured. It is unclear to what extent civilians were killed or injured. The country’s interior ministry said more than 200 people have been arrested.
Here’s what you need to know about the turmoil and why it matters.
What led to the protests?
The demonstrations were ignited in the oil-rich western region of Mangystau when the government lifted price controls on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) early this year, Reuters reported. Many Kazakhs have converted their cars to run on fuel because of its low cost.
But LPG subsidies had created a situation where Kazakhstan regularly faced oil shortages, Reuters reported. Lifting the price caps was a means of the government to reduce those deficits and ensure that stocks went to the domestic market. However, the plan backfired and LPG prices more than doubled after the limits were lifted – protests then quickly spread across the country.
Amnesty International said the protests are “a direct result of the authorities’ widespread repression of basic human rights”.
What has been the government’s response?
Authorities have declared a nationwide state of emergency with a curfew and restrictions on movement until January 19, local media reported. Internet outages have been reported across the country, and President Tokayev said military personnel had been deployed.
In an effort to stem the unrest, Tokayev ordered the government to cut the price of LPG to 50 tenge ($0.11) per liter “to ensure stability in the country”.
He said a number of measures had also been taken to “stabilize the socio-economic situation”, including government regulation of fuel prices for a 180-day period, a moratorium on raising public utility tariffs for the same period, and consideration of rent subsidies for ‘vulnerable parts of the population’.
Prime Minister Askar Mamin and the Kazakh government resigned, and Tokayev took control of the country’s Security Council, replacing former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
However, those concessions failed to stop the protests.
Tokayev has vowed to act “as hard as possible” to stop the unrest. He called those who allegedly stormed the airport “terrorists” and accused the protesters of undermining the “state system”, claiming that “many of them have undergone military training abroad”.
A Russian-led military alliance of former Soviet states answered his call for help to put down the protests. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) — which includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan — is sending “peacekeeping troops” to Kazakhstan “to stabilize and normalize the situation,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.
Where is Kazakhstan and how is it governed?
Kazakhstan is home to a significant ethnic Russian minority, who make up about 20% of the 19 million inhabitants of the former Soviet Republic, according to the CIA World Factbook. Moscow also relies on the Baikonur cosmodrome in southern Kazakhstan as a launch site for all Russian manned space missions.
Much of the protestors’ anger has been directed at Kazakhstan’s leadership, which controls the country closely.
His autocratic governance sparked international concern and saw authorities crack down on protests, stifle prison critics and press freedoms, according to global human rights groups. Critics accused Nazarbayev of appointing relatives and allies to key government jobs and his family is said to control much of Kazakhstan’s economy, Reuters reported.
The 2018 United States Department of State’s human rights report noted that the 2015 presidential election in Kazakhstan, in which Nazarbayev received 98% of the votes cast, “were marked by irregularities and without real political competition.” There have never been elections in Kazakhstan that have been judged to be free and fair by international observers.
When Nazarbayev stepped down, he handed over power to Tokayev, but remained an influential but controversial figure behind the scenes. Until January 5, he remained chairman of the country’s Security Council, retaining the title of Elbasy (Leader of the Nation).
His removal from the council by Tokayev does not seem to have stopped the current turmoil.
DailyExpertNews’s Rob Picheta, Anna Chernova, Radina Gigova, Ivan Watson and Sugam Pokharel contributed coverage.
