NEW KAZAKH PRESIDENT SWORN IN AFTER LONGTIME LEADER RESIGNS

Moscow — The speaker of Kazakhstan’s parliament was sworn in as interim president on Wednesday, a day after longtime leader Nursultan Nazarbayev abruptly resigned. Nazarbayev surprised many by announcing in a televised address Tuesday that he would step down after nearly 30 years in office that has included the whole of Kazakhstan’s time as an independent nation.

The 78-year-old Nazarbayev attended Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s inauguration Wednesday, entering to lengthy applause from assembled dignitaries before taking a seat on a podium behind the lectern where Tokayev gave an address.