The government of Kazakhstan under Prime Minister Alichan Smailov resigned on Monday, the president's office announced.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the decision and named Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar as Smailov's acting successor.

"The members of the government of Kazakhstan will continue carrying out their functions until the new executive is approved," the statement from the president's office said.

Why did the Kazakh government resign?

The presidential statement did not give a reason, but Tokayev has recently been pushing for sweeping reforms to attract foreign capital into the economy.

Government reshuffles are not uncommon in the Central Asian country where much of the power is in the hands of the president.

Kazakh political scientist Talgat Kaliyev told Spanish news agency EFE that President Tokayev had repeatedly expressed his disappointment with the cabinet.

"The resignation is connected to the future economic development of Kazakhstan," Kaliyev told EFE. "The president criticized the government for its inability to propose an effective economic strategy."

ab/kb (EFE, Reuters)