Kazakhstan's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has stepped down after a nearly three-decade-long tenure.

His successor, Kassym Jomart-Tokayev, confirmed his position after taking nearly 71% of the vote in Sunday's election against six other government-approved candidates, according to Foreign Policy. His closest opposition candidate trailed behind with 16.2%.

Though that may seem a sweeping victory for Jomart-Tokayev, the transfer of office has spurred unrest in the country's capital Nur-Sultan and largest city Almaty.

About 500 protesters were arrested by police, the BBC reported, citing local officials. The demonstration, decrying what protests called a "dictatorship" in the country, is the largest Kazakhstan has seen in recent years.

As protest is not tolerated in the country, the demonstration led to violence in the streets. A BBC correspondent in Nur-Sultan reported people being dragged onto buses by riot police. Many journalists were also detained covering the protest, while social media platforms such as Facebook and Telegram were reportedly inaccessible in the country during that time.