President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his retirement.

Nazarbayev has been president of the country since 1991, announced his resignation on television.

"I have made a decision that is not easy for me. I resign as President of the Republic of Kazakhstan," he said.

Senate president Kassim Jamart Tokayev will lead the country after Nazarbayev's resignation.

Nursultan Nazarbayev has been on duty since 1991 when his country declared its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union.