Kazakh parliament votes in new PM

Kazakhstan lawmakers have installed a new prime minister.
Kazakhstan lawmakers have installed a new prime minister after days of violent protests. -AP

Kazakhstan lawmakers have installed a new prime minister, as the country's rulers seek to reassert order after days of violent protests.

The parliament of the Central Asian country on Tuesday voted in Alikhan Smailov, state television reported.

Smailov had already taken the post temporarily, after the dismissal of the old government a week ago, according to the report.

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 (CSTO), which he had called in to quell riots.

Meanwhile, the number of arrests was approaching 10,000. According to the Tengrinews agency, the Ministry of the Interior said that around 9900 people had been 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 also violent 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.