ABOUT US  |  CONTACT US  |  RSS  |  ARCHIVE  |  2023-05-30  |  UPDATED: 1400/12/03 - 17:55:1 FA | AR | PS | EN
Russia says open to diplomacy over Ukraine, defends recognition of breakaway regions             Pakistan steps up military operation along Durand Line             Ghani Removed From UN Heads of State List             President Lukashenko: Belarus may purchase Russian S-400 missile systems             Iran rejects Reuters report on deal in Vienna talks as effort to boost Western sides standing             Police throng Ottawa streets in preparation for crackdown on protests            Taliban Delegation Returns to Kabul from Doha             US General: Daesh Concerns Us in Afghanistan             Afghan Women Criticize Bidens Afghan Assets Decision             Afghan U19 Futsal Team Beats Uzbekistan 8-1             Nazi salute shakes up EU parliament             NY attorney general fires back at Trumps defense of financial statements             Ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine say attacked by govt. forces             NJ police cuff Black teen in fight as white teen watches showdown             US sends F-35 jets to Germany amid rising tensions in Eastern Europe            


DATE PUBLISHED: 1400/10/15 - 01:59:0
VISIT: 10842
SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS

How fuel prices hike turned into burning police cars in Kazakhstan


Riot police gather to block protesters in the center of Almaty, Kazakhstan on January 5, 2022. © AP / Vladimir Tretyakov

The Central Asian nation faced a wave of mass protests triggered by a sharp hike in fuel prices

Kazakhstan has had a rocky start to the new year, with protests spreading across the country. This is how a spike in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices turned into mass unrest.

Mass demonstrations have gripped major cities across the Central Asian nation in the first few days of 2022. The unrest was prompted by a sharp rise of LPG prices, which doubled in a matter of days.

 

Reform of fuel market

The spike in prices did not come out of nowhere; it was the result of a sweeping reform launched back in 2019, when the country began its transition to electronic trade in LPG. The amount of LPG traded that way has gradually increased over the past three years, before reaching 100% on January 1.

 

Twofold price hike of liquefied petroleum gas

The countrys government explained that keeping the fuel price caps that had existed in Kazakhstan for years was no longer economically feasible. LPG producers were effectively forced to sell the product at a cheaper price than it cost to produce, with consumption of LPG steadily growing in the country over the past few years.

Steering the LPG trade into the market rails prompted the prices to grow twofold in a matter of days, reaching a wholesale price of around 78 tenge ($0.18) and a retail price of 100-120 tenge ($0.23-0.28).

 

Mass protests kick off

While the price hike was long-expected, it still prompted mass unrest. Consistently low prices have turned LPG into an extremely popular type of fuel, with many of Kazakhstans residents converting their vehicles to use it instead of traditional petroleum. The protests kicked off in Zhanaozen, a city located in the oil and gas producing south-western region of Mangystau.

 

Protests spread & grow political

Over the past two days, the unrest spilled over into other regions of Kazakhstan, gripping some major cities, including the most populous metropolis of Almaty and the capital city of Nur-Sultan (formerly known as Astana). The protest also grew increasingly political, with the demands of demonstrators quickly growing from reinstating the fuel price caps and lowering food prices to the resignation of the countrys government altogether.

 

Government folds on LPG prices, but shows force

Kazakhstans government has shown a combined approach to quelling the unrest, signaling its readiness to fulfill some of the social and economic demands of protesters. Namely, the countrys President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the price caps would be reestablished in the Mangystau region, while similar measures have been already rolled out by local authorities in other parts of Kazakhstan.

At the same time, the government dispatched additional police force into the cities that were gripped by the unrest, an units resembling the military were even spotted in the streets of Almaty. The president also declared a state of emergency in some of the regions experiencing protests.

The unrest has led to clashes between the demonstrators and law enforcement in multiple locations. Several police vehicles have been burned by the rowdy protesters, with the police deploying tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds.

 

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/25673


TAGS:






*
*

*



SEE ALSO

US sanctions on Russia over Ukraine to impact global economies, says report


Is an all-out Russia-Ukraine war about to break out?


Remembering Martin Luther King: Dream shattered by US slide into anarchy


Tracking Britains Role in West Asia Crises as Queen Rewards Blair with "Knighthood"


Two years on: The planted seed is sprouting


Shadow of Collapse, Internal Conflict over Declining US


Boycotting Chinese Winter Olympics: From double standard to Bidens desperate bid to score foreign policy achievements


US military academies remain plagued by racism: Report


US all options on table threat against Russia over Ukraine bluster: Analyst


Is Russia going to invade Ukraine?





VIEWED
MOST DISCUSSED




POLL

Modi, Merkel Discuss Afghanistan, Radicalisation And Terrorism

SEE RESULT


LAST NEWS

Ukraine considering cutting ties with Russia

Russia says open to diplomacy over Ukraine, defends recognition of breakaway regions

Pakistan steps up military operation along Durand Line

Ghani Removed From UN Heads of State List

President Lukashenko: Belarus may purchase Russian S-400 missile systems

Iran rejects Reuters report on deal in Vienna talks as effort to boost Western sides standing

Police throng Ottawa streets in preparation for crackdown on protests

Taliban Delegation Returns to Kabul from Doha

US General: Daesh Concerns Us in Afghanistan

Afghan Women Criticize Bidens Afghan Assets Decision

Afghan U19 Futsal Team Beats Uzbekistan 8-1

Nazi salute shakes up EU parliament

NY attorney general fires back at Trumps defense of financial statements

Ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine say attacked by govt. forces

NJ police cuff Black teen in fight as white teen watches showdown

US sends F-35 jets to Germany amid rising tensions in Eastern Europe

Talks on Outsourced Airport Operations Still Ongoing: Ministry

EU to deliver Є500 million to Afghan people

Atmars Letter to UN Regarding Afghan Mission Denied: Faiq

Afghan Embassy in US Facing Financial Problems

Karzai: Afghan Girls Must Definitely Return to School

US support for the Taliban/ US supports no armed movement against Afghan government: Envoy

South Korea may punish Tesla

Central bank calls on India to ban cryptocurrency

Three women will host this years Oscars, while ratings continue to plummet

Western leaders should see doctor over Ukraine paranoia, says Russian envoy

GOP boycotts Biden Fed nominees vote as bank fights inflation

Europe pledges $11 M to Afghanistans educational sector

Four dead, 17 missing as Spain trawler sinks off Canada

Putin: Russia does not want war, ready to continue security talks with West

Indias hijab row spreads to its most populous state

Israel trying to sabotage Vienna process as talks enter sensitive stage: Report

Kremlin: US talk of imminent Ukraine invasion baseless hysteria

Moderate Democrats fear party infighting could cost them Congress

NBA: Chicago Bulls 120-109 San Antonio Spurs

Afghan Delegates Meet EU Envoys in Doha

UK to Co-Host Afghan Aid Virtual Summit

Afghanistan U19 Futsal Team Beats Tajikistan

Pakistan denies ISI chief meeting Afghan Jihadi leaders in Turkey

IRC urges US, Europe to reset their policies towards Afghanistan before humanitarian crisis kills more Afghans


MEDICAL NEWS


ANSAR PRESS  |  ABOUT US  |  CONTACT US  |  MOBILE VERSION  |  LINKS  |  DESIGN: Negah Network Co.
All right reserved. Use this website by mentioning the source (link) is allowed. Ԑ یی