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Horacio Cartes has resigned from the presidency of Paraguay — a long-expected step that paves the way for him to take a Senate seat.

The recently approved Vice President Alicia Pucheta will take over as leader.

The Senate now must vote on whether to accept the resignation, but approval seems likely.

Cartes' five-year term ends in August. Paraguay's constitution says former presidents are automatically "senators for life," with a "voice but without a vote." But he won a full Senate seat during last month's elections, a post that would help him extend his political influence into the future.

He has to resign before his term ends so that he can be sworn in as senator for the coming sessions.