Guatemalan president's divorce halted by court

Sunday, April 3, 2011

The divorce of Guatemalan president Álvaro Colom and first lady Sandra Torres has been halted by a court after Torres said that she was divorcing her husband so she can run for president in the next election. The Guatemalan constitution bans the president's close relatives standing for office.

A petition was taken to the court by a group of students, claiming the divorce is a "farce" that would bypass the constitution. Otto Perez Molina, the main opposition candidate, called the divorce electoral fraud. As first lady Torres has played a big role in politics during the presidency.

Mildred Roca, the judge overseeing the couple's divorce hearing, reported receiving a threatening anonymous telephone call against granting the divorce. The caller described himself as from a "group defending the constitution". During the call he threatened to execute her family should the divorce be granted.

President Colom has been married twice before and the first couple have been together for eight years.

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Related news

"Guatemalan president and first lady apply for divorce" — Wikinews, March 27, 2008

Sources

"Report: Guatemala judge holds up first lady's divorce that would open way for presidential run" — The Canadian Press, April 3, 2011
"Guatemala first couple's divorce on hold" — BBC News Online, April 2, 2011

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Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.