Rare protesters in Kazakhstan leave scores injured and topple the former Soviet Republic's longtime leader

Moscow — Unprecedented protests have led to the de-facto resignation of one of the longest serving rulers of a former Soviet Republic. The president of Kazakhstan sacked his entire government and imposed a state of emergency across several regions on Wednesday in an attempt to curb the protests that have engulfed the country. But it was his predecessor, a former president who still held huge influence over the running of the country, whose resignation on Wednesday most clearly illustrated the gravity of the unrest.

As many as 190 people were injured during the clashes in Kazakhstan's largest city of Almaty, its public health department said on Wednesday.

Kazakhstan, a Central Asian nation of about 19 million people, is tightly controlled by its authoritarian government. The regime tolerates little opposition and has sought to quash dissent. Spontaneous demonstrations are illegal.