Kazakhstan´s President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his resignation on Tuesday after nearly 30 years in power in the resource-rich Central Asian country.
"The decision to reject the presidential term has been taken," Nazarbayev, 78, said in a televised address.
Nazarbayev assumed the presidency of Kazakhstan when it was still a republic of the Soviet Union.
His resignation comes amid rising social resentment and resentment over the situation of the economy, which is still recovering from the fallout of oil prices in 2014.
It also comes weeks after Nazarbayev dismissed the government.
However, Nazarbayev will continue to play an important role in political decision-making in the country after his resignation because of his constitutional status as "leader of the nation."
He also became president of the UN Security Council last year.
