Kazakhs demand resignations at rare crisis protest

[Joanne98]

Source: Reuters


ALMATY, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Kazakh opposition groups demanded the government and parliament's resignation over their handling of an economic crisis at a rare public protest on Saturday.

Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest economy, has been hit hard by the global crisis because of its reliance on foreign borrowing and commodity exports. Economic growth has nearly halted, with some industries and regions in recession.

About 300 people gathered for the state-sanctioned protest at a small square in Kazakhstan's commercial centre Almaty. Protests are rare in Kazakhstan because they are tightly regulated by the state which often denies permission.

Some carried banners saying "Down with the government" and one man with shoulder length hair held a red flag with the portrait of revolutionary Che Guevara.

"To hell with this parliament!" said Gulzhan Yergaliyeva, editor of an opposition newspaper to cheers and applause from the crowd.



Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKLL48172020090221

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A Che Guevara sign in Kazakhstan? Wow.