Latest news with #FrenteAmplio
The Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Chile government proposes to legalize abortion up to 14 weeks
SANTIAGO: Chile's government said Wednesday it had introduced a bill in Congress to legalize abortions up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, a key pledge of left-wing President Gabriel Boric during his 2022 election campaign. In Chile, abortions are only permitted for three reasons: a threat to the life of the mother, serious malformation of the foetus, or rape. 'Thirty-six years after therapeutic abortions (terminations due to medical necessity) were banned in our country... we are opening the debate in Congress,' Minister for Women Antonia Orellana told reporters. She was referring to dictator Augusto Pinochet's 1989 repeal of a law allowing abortions on health grounds, which ushered in a total ban on terminations for over 25 years. The bill unveiled by the government on Wednesday comes a year after Boric announced plans to decriminalize all abortions. His minority Frente Amplio (Broad Front) party faces an uphill battle to get the bill through parliament, with the conservative opposition vehemently opposed to expanding abortion rights. Orellana admitted it would be 'naive' to think that abortions would be legal before Boric's presidency ends in March 2026. Decriminalizing abortion under all circumstances is a long-standing demand of feminist groups in Chile. A poll by the Centre for Public Studies showed, however, that only 34 percent of Chileans back the right to abortions regardless of circumstances, whereas 50 percent believe terminations should only be allowed in special cases. Boric, who became Chile's youngest-ever leader in 2021 aged 35, failed in his bid to put expanded abortion rights in a new proposed constitution in 2022. Voters however rejected the draft charter.
Al Bawaba
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Jose Mujica, ex-Uruguayan president, dies at 89
BOGOTA, Colombia - Uruguay's former President Jose 'Pepe' Mujica, known for his humble lifestyle and socially progressive administration, has died at the age of 89. Mujica had been diagnosed with cancer and had entered the terminal phase of his illness in recent weeks. His death was announced Tuesday by Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi. "With deep pain, we announce that our comrade Pepe Mujica has passed away," Orsi said on X. "President, activist, a guiding figure, and a driving force. We are going to miss you, dear old man. Thank you for everything you taught us and for your profound love for your people." Born on May 20, 1935, Mujica co-founded the Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional-Tupamaros (MLN-T) in the 1960s, an urban guerrilla group influenced by the Cuban revolution. Captured in 1970, he escaped and was subsequently arrested in 1972 and remained imprisoned until 1985. Mujica endured 13 years in prison, where he was tortured and survived inhumane conditions, including prolonged periods of isolation in bunkers or cages. He was freed under an amnesty granted in 1985 coinciding with the end of Uruguay's military regime. Before becoming president, Mujica served as a deputy and senator, and in 2005, he was appointed Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries in the first government of the Frente Amplio, Uruguay's leftist coalition. During his presidential term from 2010 to 2015, the Uruguayan economy achieved an average annual growth rate of 5.4%, poverty levels declined, and unemployment remained low. Upon leaving office, Mujica enjoyed a high level of domestic popularity, approaching 70% in the small country of more than 3 million people. Beyond Uruguay's borders, 'Pepe' Mujica garnered significant international recognition, becoming an emblem of unconventional leadership and humility. He was globally renowned not just for his past as a guerrilla fighter or for his progressive policies, which included legalizing abortion, marijuana and same-sex marriage, as well as the resettlement of war refugees from Afghanistan, but also became known for his strikingly austere lifestyle and his incisive critiques of consumerism and global inequality. Throughout his presidency, he famously chose not to reside in the presidential mansion, breaking with the tradition of his predecessors. Instead, he continued to live with his wife, Lucía Topolansky—a fellow politician and former guerrilla member—in their modest home on the outskirts of Montevideo. Known for his informal attire and minimal security detail, Mujica famously continued to drive his sky-blue 1987 Volkswagen Beetle and donated a significant portion of his presidential salary to charities that benefited poor people and small entrepreneurs. Mujica's death has been met with widespread tributes and condolences from across Uruguay and the international community.
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First Post
14-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Uruguay's José Mujica, who lived like a farmer, has died. The story of the 'world's poorest president'
José Mujica, former Uruguayan president and globally admired statesman, has died at 89. A former guerrilla who once spent 10 years in solitary confinement, he became a humble, sandal-wearing leader who gave away most of his salary, drove a beat-up Beetle and legalised marijuana. Why did he choose to live so simply while leading a nation? read more Then, the presidential candidate of ruling party Frente Amplio, former left-wing guerrilla fighter Jose Mujica chats in his farm in the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay, November 27, 2009. File Image/Reuters José Mujica, the former Uruguayan president renowned worldwide for his austere lifestyle, humble demeanour, and unapologetically progressive politics, passed away at the age of 89. The news of his death was confirmed by Uruguay's current President Yamandú Orsi, who described him as 'President, activist, guide and leader.' Mujica died just months after he entered hospice care at his modest home outside Montevideo, having chosen to cease further treatment for esophageal cancer. Jose Mujica, former leader of leftist guerrilla group 'Tupamaros National Liberation' and current pre-candidate for the ruling leftist Popular Front party for the primaries elections, casts his ballot in a voting station in Montevideo, Uruguay, June 28, 2009. File Image/Reuters With his passing, Latin America loses not just a former head of state, but a revolutionary-turned-statesman whose decisions vis-à-vis social justice, environmental sustainability and civil liberties earned him admiration far beyond Uruguay's borders. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Part I: The daring life of José Mujica Born in 1935 (though Mujica often insisted he was born a year earlier due to a clerical error), José Mujica grew up in what he once described as a state of 'dignified poverty.' His father died when he was around 9 or 10 years old, leaving his mother to raise him on a small farm where they cultivated flowers and kept livestock. As a teenager, Mujica became involved in politics through the progressive faction of Uruguay's conservative National Party. Jose Mujica, a former historical leader of the guerrilla movement 'Tupamaros,' picks up a bouquet of flowers in the flower beds of his farm, on the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay, October 31, 2004. File Image/Reuters But by the 1960s, inspired by the revolutionary fervour sweeping the region in the wake of Cuba's transformation, he joined the Tupamaros National Liberation Movement, a Marxist urban guerrilla group that sought to topple the Uruguayan government through a campaign of robberies, kidnappings and sabotage. The Tupamaros gained both notoriety and government backlash. Mujica himself was shot six times in a shootout with law enforcement, and he staged multiple prison escapes. However, following a coup in 1973, Uruguay descended into a 12-year military dictatorship. Mujica was captured and imprisoned for nearly 15 years — ten of which he spent in near-total isolation, sometimes confined to what he described as an old horse trough with only ants for company. Uruguay's former President Jose Mujica arrives to cast his vote in Montevideo, Uruguay, October 26, 2014. File Image/AP He later reflected, 'They ask you: 'How do you want to be remembered?' Vanity of vanities! Memory is a historical thing. … Years go by. Not even the dust remains.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mujica was granted amnesty in 1985 when democracy was restored in Uruguay. He re-entered politics, this time through the Broad Front, a coalition of leftists and social democrats, and began a meteoric rise. Part II: The humble life of José Mujica Widely known as 'Pepe,' when Mujica became Uruguay's 40th president in 2010 at age 74, he did so with 52 per cent of the national vote. Despite his radical past, voters entrusted him with leadership during a pivotal moment for the country. What followed was a presidency unlike any other in modern political history. Choosing not to move into the presidential palace, Mujica remained in his three-room farmhouse on the outskirts of Montevideo, where he continued to grow vegetables and flowers with his wife and political partner, Lucía Topolansky. Presidential candidate of ruling party Frente Amplio, former left-wing guerrilla fighter Jose Mujica puts his clothes in his bedroom in his farm in the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay, November 27, 2009. File Image/Reuters Instead of wearing suits, he favoured cardigans and sandals. He drove a weathered 1987 Volkswagen Beetle, lunched with office workers in local restaurants, and handed out anti-machismo pamphlets on city streets. 'They made me seem like some impoverished president, but they were the poor ones … imagine if you have to live in that four-story government house just to have tea,' he told the Associated Press in 2023. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Former guerrilla leader Jose Mujica walks on his flower farm, in Montevideo, Uruguay, June 8, 1999. File Image/Reuters This commitment to modesty earned him the nickname 'the world's poorest president,' a label he never sought but one that captured his philosophical stance on life and politics. In a May 2024 interview, he said he still had his Beetle in 'phenomenal' condition, but preferred using a tractor: 'more entertaining' and better for thinking. How Uruguay fared under José Mujica Under Mujica's leadership from 2010 to 2015, Uruguay underwent some of the most sweeping and progressive social reforms in Latin America. His administration legalised same-sex marriage, enacted abortion rights for the first trimester, and led the world by becoming the first country to fully legalise the production, sale, and consumption of marijuana under state regulation. 'I do not defend drug use. But I can't defend (a ban) because now we have two problems: drug addiction, which is a disease, and narcotrafficking, which is worse,' he said. Former guerrilla leader and Uruguay presidential candidate Jose Mujica works on his farm at the outskirts of Montevideo after casting his vote during the Uruguayan National elections in Montevideo, Uruguay, October 25, 2009. File Image/Reuters These reforms were especially bold in a region still deeply influenced by conservative and Catholic values. At the same time, Uruguay achieved strong economic performance under his tenure, with rising incomes, lower poverty rates and a reputation for robust democratic institutions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mujica's government also championed green energy transformation. By the end of his term, Uruguay was generating 98 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, including solar, wind, and biomass — placing it among the most environmentally progressive countries globally. Pope Francis meets Uruguay's President Jose Mujica during a private audience at the Vatican, June 1, 2013. File Image/Reuters Despite these achievements, his presidency was not free from criticism. His opponents pointed to rising crime rates and an expanding fiscal deficit that would later compel his successor to raise taxes. Conservative critics also pushed back against his liberal stances and often unfiltered public remarks. Nonetheless, Mujica concluded his presidency with a 60 per cent approval rating. Though barred from seeking consecutive terms, he remained a senator and continued to be one of Uruguay's most influential voices. How world leaders reacted to José Mujica's passing Mujica's passing sparked a flood of tributes from world leaders and citizens alike. Colombian President Gustavo Petro referred to him as a 'great revolutionary.' Brazil's Foreign Ministry called him 'one of the most important humanists of our time.' Chilean President Gabriel Boric lauded his work against inequality, writing, 'If you left us anything, it was the unquenchable hope that things can be done better.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called him 'an example for Latin America and the entire world.' Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva added, 'He defended democracy like few others. And he never stopped advocating for social justice and the end of all inequalities.' Then-US President Barack Obama welcomes Uruguay's President Jose Mujica before their meeting in the Oval Office in Washington, US, May 12, 2014. File Image/Reuters As a retired leader, Mujica and his wife remained politically active, attending Latin American presidential inaugurations and supporting candidates like Orsi, who took office in March 2025 . Even after they stopped selling flowers, they continued growing vegetables on their land — Topolansky was known for pickling tomatoes each season. Mujica never lost his philosophical lens on life. After receiving his cancer diagnosis, he told the country's youth, 'I want to convey to all the young people that life is beautiful, but it wears out and you fall. The point is to start over every time you fall, and if there is anger, transform it into hope.' Mujica's journey — from an armed insurgent imprisoned for over a decade, to a president who legalised marijuana and refused to wear a tie — defies conventional political trajectories. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Uruguay's President Jose Mujica, left, and his wife Lucia Topolansky attend a flag ceremony in Montevideo, Uruguay, February 27, 2015. File Image/AP He once mused, 'This is the tragedy of life, on the one hand it's beautiful, but it ends. Therefore, paradise is here. As is hell.' Uruguay has declared three days of national mourning for the former president and statesman. With inputs from agencies
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Uruguay's Jose Mujica, a president famed for sparse living, dead at 89
Jose 'Pepe' Mujica, a former leftist rebel who became Uruguay's president from 2010 to 2015, has died at the age of 89. Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi announced his death in a social media post on Tuesday. Mujica had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2024. 'It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of our comrade Pepe Mujica,' Orsi wrote. 'Thank you for everything you gave us and for your deep love for your people.' Mujica became an icon even beyond Uruguay's borders, as he led his country to pursue environmental reforms, legalise same-sex marriage and loosen restrictions on marijuana. He also was celebrated for maintaining his simple lifestyle even during his presidency, when he eschewed the presidential palace in favour of the farmhouse where he grew flowers. He told Al Jazeera in 2022 that such opulence can 'divorce' presidents from their people. 'I believe that politicians should live like the majority of their people, not like how the privileged minority lives,' Mujica of Mujica's death has been met with tributes from around the world, particularly from figures on the Latin American left. 'We deeply regret the passing of our beloved Pepe Mujica, an example to Latin America and the entire world for his wisdom, foresight, and simplicity,' Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on social media. Chile's President Gabriel Boric, meanwhile, remembered Mujica's optimism in a post of his own. 'If you left us anything, it was the unquenchable hope that things can be done better,' he wrote. For his part, Colombian President Gustavo Petro offered a tribute to Mujica that doubled as a call for greater collaboration and integration across Latin America. 'Goodbye, friend,' Petro wrote in the wake of Mujica's passing, as he envisioned a more unified region. 'I hope that Latin America will one day have an anthem.' Mujica became a symbol to a generation of political leaders helping to steer their countries out of military dictatorships during the latter half of the 20th century. Like Petro, Mujica was likewise a former rebel fighter. As a young man in the 1960s, he led armed fighters as part of the far-left Tupamaros movement, which was known for robbing banks, taking over towns and even exchanging gunfire with local police. Mujica was arrested multiple times and spent nearly a decade in solitary confinement, in a prison where he endured torture. A government crackdown on the left-wing fighters helped pave the way for a coup in 1973, followed by a brutal military dictatorship that perpetrated human rights abuses like forced disappearances. But in 1985, Uruguay began its transition to democracy, and Mujica and other rebel fighters were released under an amnesty law. He started to become a force in Uruguay's politics, joining the Frente Amplio or Broad Front, a centre-left coalition with other former fighters. After he was elected president at age 74, Mujica staked out progressive stances on civil liberties and social issues including abortion and gay marriage, and he even pushed for the legalisation of marijuana. He also emphasised the development of green energy practices, putting Uruguay at the forefront of addressing the climate crisis. His long-term partner Lucia Topolansky, whom he met during his time with the Tupamaros, was also politically active, and she served as his vice president after they were married in 2005. While president, Mujica famously shunned the presidential residence and remained at his flower farm on the outskirts of the capital of Montevideo. He also drove a weathered blue Volkswagen Beetle, one of his trademarks. His modest lifestyle led some to dub him the 'world's poorest president'. 'We elect a president, and it's as if they're a candidate to be king, someone with a court, a red carpet, who has to live in a fancy palace,' he told Al Jazeera in 2022, before adding with characteristic bluntness: 'Don't blame the pig, but those who scratch his back.' Mujica remained a prominent public figure even after leaving the presidency, attending the inauguration of political leaders across Latin America and offering support to candidates in Uruguay, among them Orsi, who was elected in 2024. 'The problem is that the world is run by old people, who forget what they were like when they were young,' Mujica said during a 2024 interview with the news agency Reuters. Mujica was informed in September 2024 that radiation treatment had effectively targeted cancer of the esophagus, but a doctor reported in January 2025 that the cancer had returned and spread to his liver. The former rebel and president did not seem overly concerned. 'Honestly, I'm dying,' Mujica told the weekly magazine Busqueda in what he said would be his last interview. 'A warrior has the right to rest.'
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
José Mujica, Uruguay's humble president who changed his country and charmed the world, dies at 89
Former Uruguayan President José Mujica, a one-time Marxist guerrilla and flower farmer whose brand of democracy, plain-spoken philosophy and simple lifestyle fascinated people around the world, has died. He was 89. His death was announced by Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi. In a post on social media platform X, Orsi called Mujica a "president, activist, guide and leader."Mujica had been under treatment for cancer of the esophagus since spring 2024, when the affliction was diagnosed. Even as the treatment left him weak and hardly able to eat, Mujica reappeared on the political stage in fall of 2024, campaigning for his left-wing coalition in national elections that vaulted his preferred candidate and protégé, Orsi, to the presidency. Former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica reacts after receiving a tribute during the 54th anniversary of the Frente Amplio political coalition in Montevideo on March 26, 2025. SOFIA TORRES/AFP via Getty Images In September of 2024, his doctor reported that radiation had succeeded in eliminating much of the tumor. But in January of 2025, Mujica's doctor announced that the cancer in his esophagus had returned and spread to his liver. His autoimmune disease and other underlying medical problems led Mujica to decide not to pursue further treatment. "Honestly, I'm dying," Mujica told weekly magazine Busqueda in what he said would be his final interview. "A warrior has the right to rest." During his 2010-2015 presidency, Mujica, widely known as "Pepe," oversaw the transformation of his small South American nation into one of the world's most socially liberal democracies. He earned admiration at home and cult status abroad for legalizing marijuana and same-sex marriage, enacting the region's first sweeping abortion rights law and establishing Uruguay as a leader in alternative energy.
