President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his resignation on Tuesday.
Nazarbayev has been serving as president of Kazakhstan for 28 years, since the office was created on 24 April 1990. The speaker of the country's senate, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, will assume the office of president until a new president is elected.
"I made the decision to terminate my powers as president", Nazarbayev said, speaking on national television channels addressing the people of Kazakhstan.
Nazarbayev said he would retain the post of head of the country's Security Council and leader of the Nur Otan party, and remain a member of the Constitutional Council.
