Former Uruguayan leader Jose Mujica, “the poorest president in the world,” has died

Former Uruguayan President José Mujica, who held the position from 2010 to 2015, died on May 13 at the age of 89.

This was reported by the current President of Uruguay Yamada Orsi.

"President, activist, leader and manager. We will miss you dearly, dear old man. Thank you for all you have given us and for your deep love for your people," Orsi wrote.

In April 2024, it was announced that José Mujica had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Due to radiation therapy, the politician developed “kidney disease,” and the cancer later spread to his liver.

In his youth, José “Pepe” Mujica was a member of the left-wing guerrilla movement “Tupamaros”, inspired by the ideas of the Cuban Revolution. Then Mujica was arrested, he spent almost 15 years in prison. He received numerous gunshot wounds and participated in a mass prison escape. And, as The Guardian notes, all his life he lived “the path of courage”.

Together with several other Tupamaros activists, he founded the Popular Participation Movement (MPP), with which he won several legislative elections. In 2009, Mujica ran for president and won in the second round.

As president, Mujica renounced the state palace and motorcade that were his due. He lived in a small farmhouse near Montevideo and drove an old Volkswagen Beetle. In an interview with The Guardian, however, he said that he did not consider himself “the poorest president,” as many media outlets have dubbed him for his modest lifestyle:

"I am not the poorest president. The poorest is the one who needs a lot to live."

As president, Mujica legalized same-sex marriage, cannabis, and the regionʼs first abortion law. He transformed Uruguay into a leader in alternative energy.

Mujica had no children. He was survived by his wife, Lucia Topolanski, also a former member of the brawl.

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