Morales, Jimmy, 1969–, Guatemalan political leader, b. Guatemala City as James Ernesto Morales Cabrera, grad. Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. A popular television comedian, he entered politics and in 2013 joined the small, conservative National Convergence Front (FCN) and became the party's secretary general. Considered a political outsider, he was the FCN's presidential candidate in 2015. Running on an anticorruption platform, he won election after a runoff. In 2017 he was accused by corruption investigators of involvement in illegal campaign financing, but the Guatemalan congress did not lift his immunity from prosecution. His family and associates also were accused of corruption, and Morales's government subsequently worked to hinder and then end independent corruption investigations and prosecutions.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Guatemalan History: Biographies
