11th January, 2022
Kazakhstan lawmakers have voted in a new prime minister, Alikhan Smailov as the country seeks to reassert order after days of riots.
Smailov took the post temporarily after the dismissal of the old government a week ago, according to the report on state TV.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had earlier suggested Smailov for the job.
On Monday, Tokayev told a meeting of a Russian-led regional security alliance that order had been restored after days of violent unrest in which more than 150 people were killed and thousands detained.
“Complete order has been restored in Kazakhstan.
“Threats to the country’s security have been averted,’’ Tokayev told a video meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.
Meanwhile, the number of arrests is almost 10,000.
According to the Tengrinews Agency, the country’s Ministry of the Interior said that about 9,900 people were detained during the riots.
Kazakhstan, which borders Russia and China, was gripped by unrest for a week after anti-government protests grew out of resentment over increased fuel prices at petrol stations in the oil and gas-rich country.
Alongside peaceful demonstrations, there were riots, especially in the metropolis of Almaty.
Tokayev declared a state of emergency, dismissed the government and ordered the military to shoot at demonstrators without warning.