Just hours after Guatemala's Congress voted to strip President Otto Pérez Molina of his immunity on corruption charges, Pérez Molina resigned in a letter presented to Congress at 11:58 p.m. on Wednesday, according to NPR.
Vice President Alejandro Maldonado is expected to step up and take over the presidency through Pérez Molina's term, which ends in January.
"In the eyes of the justice system he is now a common citizen given he no longer has immunity, and so there will be a criminal prosecution against the president," Attorney General Thelma Aldana told a news conference, as reported previously by HNGN.
This paved the way for Guatemala's next step: Aldana announced that a judge had granted a warrant for Pérez Molinas' arrest, according to The New York Times.
In a country with a history of looking the other way during corruption by the political and business heads, this is a victory for Guatemala. The citizen's movement, which combined efforts of the middle class, peasant and indigenous groups to speak out on the political corruption and Guatemala's civil war, have been instrumental in forcing changes on how the country deals with corruption and fraud.
Former vice president Roxana Baldetti, linked to the same corruption scandal, resigned in May and was arrested two weeks ago.
Judge Miguel Angel Galvea has issued the order to detain the former president, according to NBC news. Pérez Molina's lawyers say he will appear in court at his first hearing, which is expected today.
