A damaged police car is seen near the mayor's office during protests triggered by fuel price increase in Almaty, Kazakhstan January 5, 2022. REUTERS/Stringer
ALMATY (Reuters) - Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Wednesday he had taken over as head of the powerful Security Council from veteran former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev and promised to respond with "maximum toughness" to fuel price protests.
In a televised address, Tokayev said he was immediately assuming the leadership of the Security Council, a role in which Nazarbayev had continued to wield significant influence after unexpectedly stepping down from the presidency in 2019.
