Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan, said on Tuesday that he was resigning as the leader of Kazakhstan after three decades in power.
Nursultan Nazarbayev, 78, has led Kazakhstan since 1989.
“I have taken a decision, which was not easy for me, to resign as president,” Nazarbayev said in a televised address.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, speaker of the upper house of parliament, will take over as the country’s acting president for the remainder of his term in line with the constitution, Nazarbayev said.
Nursultan Nazarbayev added that he would continue to chair the Security Council and remain leader of the Nur Otan party which dominates the parliament.
