A court official says Guatemala's first lady is ending her eight-year marriage so she can seek to succeed her husband as president.
Guatemala's constitution prohibits members of a president's extended family from running for the presidency.
Judiciary spokesman Edwin Escobar says divorce proceedings began on Monday between Sandra Torres de Colom and President Alvaro Colom, who cannot run for re-election.
If both parties agree, the divorce could be final in about a month.
Torres announced on March 8 that she will be the presidential candidate of the governing National Unity for Hope party in the September election.
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Torres' spokesman could not be reached for comment.
