French President, wife divorce

PARIS—President Nicolas Sarkozy and his elegant but enigmatic wife, Cecilia, have divorced after months of questions about their relationship, a first for France that struck a deep, personal blow to his young presidency.
Their lawyer, Michele Cahen, told Europe-1 radio Thursday that the two were heard by a judge who granted their divorce after nearly 11 years of marriage. “It went very well. There was not the slightest difficulty,” she said.
In a 15-word statement, Sarkozy’s office said the two were separating by mutual consent and would not comment further on the decision. Sarkozy’s spokesman said separation meant divorce. The announcement raised questions about how the couple could secure a divorce so quickly, which no one in the president’s office would answer.
Although previous leaders in France have had extramarital affairs, the Sarkozys are the first French presidential couple to divorce while in power. Their split came as Sarkozy faced his first major political challenge: nationwide transportation strikes that caused bus, train and subway service to ground to a halt across France.
Sarkozy has not given any hint that his marital troubles will dent his determination to push ahead with his ambitious program of economic, political and social reforms for France. In the past week, as speculation about his marriage reached new heights, he continued to present an image of business as normal. He was to be in Portugal on Thursday for a European Union summit.—Agencies