He called him “elbasy”, the leader of the nation, publicly referring to him for the first time this week that he rocked Kazakhstan. But only to attack him. Confirming that the era of Nursultan Nazarbajev, the country’s first president, is truly over.
Addressing the Majilis, the Kazakh Parliament, via video link, President Kassym-Jomart Tokajev wanted to show himself ready to take up the lessons of these days. The Kazakh uprising was born out of protests over the rise in fuel prices, but it quickly turned into an orchestrated uprising – according to Tokajev – to destabilize the country.
Riots quashed with help from Russia
With the help of Russia and the other countries of the CSTO, a military alliance between former Soviet republics, Tokajev stifled the unrest, and consolidated his personal power by settling accounts with the opposing faction to the point that he could already declare that the mission of the CSTO is complete, and that the foreign contingents will resume their way home in the next few days. And then he put his hand to the most difficult task: to convince the country that the voice of the demonstrators has been heard, and that their economic demands will have a follow-up in the programs of the new government.
«Thanks to the first president of Elbasy – said Tokajev – in our country a group of companies and a class of very rich people have been formed, also for international fees. I think the time has come for them to give back to the people of Kazakhstan what they deserve ”.
Tokajev’s populist turning point foresees the adoption, within two months, of a program to increase the income of the population, in parallel with a five-year freeze of the salaries of deputies, members of the Government and municipal administrations.