On Wednesday, protesters attacked the mayor's office in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty, as the Central Asian nation's unprecedented upheaval spiraled out of hand.

Protests surged across Kazakhstan in response to a New Year's energy price increase, posing a rare threat to the authoritarian leadership in the ex-Soviet country.

Following a night of turmoil that resulted in the arrest of over 200 people, several thousand protestors rushed the Almaty municipal government headquarters on Wednesday afternoon. They appeared to gain possession of the building.

Police fired stun grenades and tear gas into the mob, which was equipped with police-seized batons and shields but could not prevent them from entering the building, according to an AFP correspondent on the site.

Local media said that demonstrators set fire to portions of the building and targeted other government installations.

The protests pose the greatest challenge to the government established by Kazakhstan's founding president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who resigned in 2019 and was succeeded by loyalist Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The protests began in response to a New Year's increase in the price of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is extensively used to fuel automobiles in the country's west.

The government is forced to resign.

Thousands of protesters marched to the streets of Almaty and the western region of Mangystau, claiming the price increase was unjust considering Kazakhstan's large energy supplies.

Clashes broke out overnight in Almaty, with police firing stun grenades and tear gas at a crowd of around 5,000 people marching through the city's central streets, chanting anti-government slogans, and occasionally attacking passing vehicles.

The interior ministry claimed that ninety-five police officers were hurt, adding that protestors "succumbed to provocations" and "groups of citizens blocked roads and traffic, disrupting public order."

Tokayev acted swiftly to quell the uprising, accepting the resignation of Prime Minister Askar Mamin's cabinet.

From January 5 to 19, he also declared states of emergency in the capital Nur-Sultan, Almaty, and Mangystau provinces.

Between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., an overnight curfew will be in effect in the areas, limiting movement in and out.

Protests in the capital were sparse and irregular. Still, an order issued on the presidential website stated that the state of emergency was necessary "in light of a grave and imminent threat to citizens' safety."

Tokayev had pleaded for calm in a Facebook video.

"The government will not be brought down, but we do not need conflict," Tokayev stated during his talk.

'Leave the old man alone.'

Protesters in Almaty chanted "old man out" — a reference to Tokayev's still-powerful predecessor Nazarbayev — and "resign the government" before police moved in, causing clashes with demonstrators.

Nazarbayev, a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, appointed Tokayev as his successor.

One of five former Soviet republics in Central Asia, Kazakhstan is critical to Russia as an economic partner and home to a sizable ethnic Russian community.

Its administration tolerates little genuine opposition and has been accused of repressing independent voices and news organizations.

Spontaneous, unannounced protests are banned despite a 2020 law reducing some limits on freedom of assembly.

On Wednesday, the internet looked restricted, with Telegram, Signal, and WhatsApp all unavailable. Two independent media outlets that covered the protests appeared to be blocked.

From Sunday, smaller gatherings were held in towns throughout the republic of 19 million people, beginning in the city of Zhanaozen in Mangystau.

Outrage over gas price hikes

The disturbance began with a surge in LPG prices in hydrocarbon-rich Mangystau, but a government initiative to decrease costs in response to demonstrators' demands failed to quell it.

According to independent media reports, Tokayev's announcement of a new price of 50 tenges (11 US cents) per liter, down from 120 at the start of the year, did not deter demonstrators in Zhanaozen Mangystau's capital Aktau from voicing new demands.

Social media users posted footage from Aktau. Tuesday's images showed police encircling thousands of demonstrators who had tented overnight in the city center.

By Wednesday, the majority had fled the city center, according to state radio Khabar.

At least 14 striking oil employees were killed in 2011 in Zhanaozen after police quashed a demonstration over wages and working conditions, the republic's bloodiest unrest since 1991.

Nazarbayev, 81, who has ruled Kazakhstan since 1989, retains control of the country as chairman of the security council and "Leader of the Nation." This constitutional status grants him unmatched policymaking authority and protection from prosecution.