This is the first time Nursultan has publicly spoken about the violence and bloodshed in the country. Nursultan led Kazakhstan for 29 years after gaining independence and held an influential position even after leaving the presidency in the year 2019. The former president denied that there was tension between him and his successor, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Some assess that the rift between the two may have played a role in fueling the unrest.
In his video address, 81-year-old Nursultan rubbished the allegations, saying, “There is no conflict or confrontation within the elite class of the country, the rumors are completely baseless.”
Protests in Kazakhstan began on January 2 in a small western town. The protest was about doubling of fuel prices. Seeing this protest, it spread all over the country. Tokayev then removed Nursultan as head of the National Security Council, including announcing a 180-day deadline on fuel prices to pacify the crowd. Nursultan had held this post since he stepped down from the presidency. Some saw the move as an attempt to end the former leader’s patronage, further fueling tensions between Kazakhstan’s ruling elite. The move further fueled the unrest.
AP Santosh Madhav
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