Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the government’s resignation Wednesday in a presidential decree after a wave of mass protests swept the country over rising liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices, Anadolu Agency reports. 

“In accordance with Article 70 of the Republic of Kazakhstan, I hereby resolve to accept the resignation of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan," Tokayev said in the decree.

According to the decree, First Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov has been appointed interim prime minister, Russian media outlet RT reported. Although the decree is effective immediately, the members of the Cabinet are expected to continue their duties until a new government is formed.

As protests spread across the country earlier in the day, Tokayev declared a state of emergency in the city of Almaty and the oil-rich Mangystau region in the west between Jan. 5-19 to maintain public security. He also imposed a curfew in Almaty, the country’s former capital, where thousands of people had taken to the streets.