Jimmy Morales
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His Excellency Jimmy Morales |
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|---|---|
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| 38th President of Guatemala | |
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Assumed office 14 January 2016 |
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| Vice President | Jafeth Cabrera |
| Preceded by | Alejandro Maldonado (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Ernesto Morales Cabrera 18 March 1969 Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| Political party | National Convergence Front |
| Spouse(s) | Hilda Patricia Morales |
| Alma mater | University of San Carlos of Guatemala |
| Religion | Evangelicalism |
| Website | Official website |
Jimmy Morales (born James Ernesto Morales Cabrera; 18 March 1969) is the President of Guatemala after his victory in the 2015 presidential election. Prior to his political career, he was a comic actor.
Morales was born in Guatemala City. He comes from a poor family and is an Evangelical Christian. He holds degrees in Business Administration from the national Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and in theology.
Morales rose to fame as a TV comedian, starring in the series Moralejas ("Morals") alongside his brother Sammy. He formally changed his name from James Ernesto Morales Cabrera to Jimmy Morales by deed poll in 2011. In 2011, he ran as mayoral candidate in Mixco for the small right-wing Action for National Development party. In 2013, he joined the small National Convergence Front (FCN/Nation) and became its secretary-general.
In 2015 he was nominated as the FCN's presidential candidate. He was initially considered an outsider but surprisingly finished first in the first round of the election, qualifying for the runoff. He runs on a platform of conservative values and against corruption. His slogan is "Neither corrupt nor a thief" (Ni corrupto, ni ladrón). He identifies as a nationalist, supports the death penalty and opposes abortion. Moreover, he denies that a genocide against the Ixil Maya took place. Morales' success came after both former vice president Roxana Baldetti and outgoing president Otto Pérez Molina had to step down and were arrested on fraud and corruption charges (La Linea corruption case).
Morales' success was viewed as a sign of the distrust of many Guatemalans towards the traditional political elite that ruled the country for decades. Voter anger and military support helped the former comedian win the presidency against more experienced politicians who voters felt were tainted by a corrupt political system.
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