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The Independent
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Mourners from all corners of Uruguay bid farewell to iconic former President José Mujica
Crowds poured into the streets of Uruguay's capital on Wednesday to bid a poignant farewell to former President José Mujica, a guerrilla fighter-turned-pioneering leader who became an icon of the Latin American left, remembered most for his humility, simple lifestyle and ideological earnestness. Thousands of people mourning the death of their former leader, affectionately known as ' Pepe,' joined the procession as Mujica's flag-covered coffin, borne on a gun carriage, made its way through downtown Montevideo toward the country's parliament over the course of three hours. Mujica died Tuesday at the age of 89 in his home on the outskirts of Montevideo — a three-room farmhouse where he lived throughout his life and during his presidency (2010-2015), in rejection of Uruguay's opulent presidential mansion. Chants of 'Pepe, dear, the people are with you!' rose as the cortege passed. Uruguayans lined the sidewalks along the route and applauded from balconies. Uruguay's president, Yamandú Orsi, Mujica's longtime interlocutor and protégé from his left-wing Broad Front party, declared Wednesday-to-Friday national days of mourning in a presidential decree that praised Mujica's 'humanist philosophy," closing the government to all but necessary operations while flags flew at half-staff. A former mayor and history teacher, Orsi, like Mujica, shunned the presidential palace in favor of his family home and has sought to continue Mujica's legacy of humility. Mujica made some of his last public appearances campaigning and casting his ballot for Orsi last fall. Accompanied by current and former officials — and Mujica's life partner and fellow politician, 80-year-old Lucía Topolansky — Orsi launched the funeral procession in a private ritual at the presidential headquarters, draping a silk national flag over Mujica's coffin. Mujica would have turned 90 next week; he was born on May 20, 1935. During his political career, Mujica 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. Before overseeing the transformation of his small South American nation into one of the world's most socially liberal democracies as president, Mujica robbed banks, planted bombs and abducted businessmen as the leader of a violent leftist guerrilla group in the 1960s known as the Tupamaros. Mujica was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in April 2024.
Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
José Mujica, Uruguay's guerrilla turned president, dies aged 89
José 'Pepe' Mujica, the former Uruguayan president whose powder-blue classic Volkswagen Beetle epitomised his spartan lifestyle, has died aged 89. The guerrilla turned politician, once dubbed 'the poorest president in the world', had been suffering from cancer. 'It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica,' Yamandú Orsi, the Uruguayan president, announced on X. António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, eulogised him as 'a model of principled leadership'. Born in 1935, Mujica joined Uruguay's Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group the Tupamaros in the 1960s. He was imprisoned in 1971 and despite escaping twice from jail spent almost 14 years behind bars, during which time he was tortured by the military authorities. Released in 1985 when democracy returned to Uruguay, he later turned
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Uruguay's José Mujica, world's 'poorest president', dies
Former Uruguayan President José Mujica, known as "Pepe", has died at the age of ex-guerrilla who governed Uruguay from 2010 to 2015 was known as the world's "poorest president" because of his modest President Yamandú Orsi announced his predecessor's death on X, writing: "thank you for everything you gave us and for your deep love for your people."The politician's cause of death is not known but he had been suffering from oesophageal cancer. Because of the simple way he lived as president, his criticism of consumerism and the social reforms he promoted - which, among other things, meant Uruguay became the first country to legalise the recreational use of marijuana - Mujica became a well-known political figure in Latin America and global popularity is unusual for a president of Uruguay, a country with just 3.4 million inhabitants where his legacy has also generated some fact, even though many tended to see Mujica as someone outside the political class, that was not the said his passion for politics, as well as for books and working the land, was passed on to him by his mother, who raised him in a middle-class home in Montevideo, the capital a young man, Mujica was a member of the National Party, one of Uruguay's traditional political forces, which later became the centre-right opposition to his the 1960s, he helped set up the Tupamaros National Liberation Movement (MLN-T), a leftist urban guerrilla group that carried out assaults, kidnappings and executions, although he always maintained that he did not commit any by the Cuban revolution and international socialism, the MLN-T launched a campaign of clandestine resistance against the Uruguayan government, which at the time was constitutional and democratic, although the left accused it of being increasingly this period, Mujica was captured four times. On one of those occasions, in 1970, he was shot six times and nearly died. He escaped from prison twice, on one occasion through a tunnel with 105 other MLN-T prisoners, in one of the largest escapes in Uruguayan prison the Uruguayan military staged a coup in 1973, they included him in a group of "nine hostages" who they threatened to kill if the guerrillas continued their the more than 14 years he spent in prison during the 1970s and 1980s, he was tortured and spent most of that time in harsh conditions and isolation, until he was freed in 1985 when Uruguay returned to used to say that during his time in prison, he experienced madness first hand, suffering from delusions and even talking to day he was freed was his happiest memory, he says: "Becoming president was insignificant compared to that." From guerrilla to president A few years after his release, he served as a lawmaker, both in the Chamber of Representatives and in the Senate, the country's lower and upper houses 2005, he became minister in the first government of the Frente Amplio, the Uruguayan leftist coalition, before becoming Uruguay's president in was 74 years old at the time, and, to the rest of the world, still election marked an important moment for the Latin American left, which was already strong on the continent at that time. Mujica became leader alongside other left-wing presidents such as Luis Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil and Hugo Chávez in Mujica governed in his own way, demonstrating pragmatism and audacity on several occasions, political commentators say. During his administration, amid a fairly favourable international context, the Uruguayan economy grew at an average annual rate of 5.4%, poverty was reduced, and unemployment remained also drew global attention for the social laws passed by parliament during those years, such as the legalisation of abortion, the recognition of same-sex marriage, and state regulation of the marijuana in office, Mujica rejected moving into the presidential residence (a mansion), as heads of state around the world usually he remained with his wife - politician and former guerrilla Lucía Topolansky - in their modest home on the outskirts of Montevideo, with no domestic help and little combined with the fact that he always dressed casually, that he was often seen driving his light blue 1987 Volkswagen Beetle and gave away a large portion of his salary, led some media outlets to call him "the world's poorest president".But Mujica always rejected that title: "They say I'm the poorest president. No, I'm not," he told me in a 2012 interview at his home. "Poor are those who want more [...] because they're in an endless race."Despite Mujica preaching austerity, his government did significantly increase public spending, widening the fiscal deficit and leading his opponents to accuse him of was also criticised for failing to reverse the growing problems in Uruguayan education, despite having promised that education would be a top priority for his unlike other leaders in the region, he was never accused of corruption or of undermining his country's the end of his administration, Mujica had a high domestic popularity rating (close to 70%) and was elected senator, but also spent part of his time travelling the world after he stepped down as president."So what it is that catches the world's attention? That I live with very little, a simple house, that I drive around in an old car? Then this world is crazy because it's surprised by [what is] normal," he reflected before leaving office. Mujica retired from politics in 2020 though he remained a central figure in political heir, Yamandú Orsi, was elected president of Uruguay in November 2024 and his group within the Frente Amplio obtained the largest number of parliamentary seats since the country's return to year, Mujica announced he had cancer and references to his age and the inexorable proximity of death became more frequent - but he always accepted the final outcome as something natural, without the last interview he gave the BBC in November last year, he said: "One knows that death is inevitable. And perhaps it's like the salt of life."
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘World's poorest president' José ‘Pepe' Mujica dies aged 89
Uruguay's former president José 'Pepe' Mujica, a guerrilla fighter and cult hero for Left-wingers worldwide, has died at the age of 89 after a lengthy fight against cancer. 'With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,' Uruguay's country's current president, Yamandú Orsi, said on X. Mr Mujica's journey from the Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group Tupamaros to mainstream politics, where his popularity stemmed from his trademark laconic philosophising, is unique in Latin American politics. Coinciding with the years of Uruguay's 1972-1985 dictatorship, Mr Mujica spent 13 years in prison, with more than half of this time confined in a tiny cell which he was allowed to leave only a couple of times a month to exercise. In that dark space without books or companionship, Mr Mujica said that he learnt to think. 'To keep myself sane, I began to remember things I'd read, things I'd thought when I was young. Later, I dedicated myself to changing the world, and I didn't read anything. I couldn't change the world, but what I'd read when I was young helped me,' he told the Spanish newspaper El País in an interview after his release. After entering politics as a senator in 2000, he would later become minister for livestock under Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguay's first Left-wing president. In November 2009 he won 53 per cent of the vote and was proclaimed president. During his single five-year term, as mandated by Uruguay's constitution, Mr Mujica legalised abortion, same-sex marriage and the use of marijuana. He won fame as the 'world's poorest president' for giving away much of his salary to charity, during his 2010-2015 presidency. He was known to attend official events in sandals and continued living on his small farm on the outskirts of Montevideo, where his prized possession was a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle. Even after he retired from politics in 2020, his chacra, or smallholding, continued to be a place of pilgrimage for Left-wing politicians, journalists and other admirers. Mr Mujica was a fierce critic of consumer culture and the environmental damage it has caused the planet. 'We have built self-exploiting societies. You have time to work but not to live,' he once said. In May 2024, he was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus, which later spread to his liver. He is survived by his wife Lucia Topolansky, whom he met when they were both guerrilla fighters. The couple did not have children.
CNN
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
José Mujica, Uruguay's modest leader who transformed the country, dies at 89
Uruguay's former President José Mujica, a leftist icon known for his progressive social reforms, died on Tuesday at the age of 89. 'It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica,' Uruguay's President Yamandú Orsi announced on X. 'President, activist, leader and guide. We will miss you very much, dear old man. Thank you for everything you gave us and for your profound love for your people,' said Orsi, who was close to the late leader. CNN has contacted the Uruguayan presidency for more information. The folksy, former guerrilla is remembered for his modest lifestyle during his presidential term – famously shunning the presidential palace to carry out his duties from his rural farm. He had been battling cancer for more than a year prior to his death, telling reporters in 2024 that he would fight on for as long as he could. 'I'll continue to fight alongside my comrades, faithful to my way of thinking, and entertaining myself with my vegetables and my chickens,' he said. 'For the rest, I am grateful, and after all, you can't take away what I've had.' 'Pepe' Mujica, as he is more widely known, burst into the national scene in the 1960s as a leader of the leftist militant group Tupamaros, which waged an armed insurgency against the government in the 60s and 70s after being inspired by the Cuban Revolution. The uprising was put down by government forces during Uruguay's military dictatorship, and Mujica was subsequently imprisoned for nearly 15 years, enduring many forms of torture. Mujica spoke of the horror of that period in 2020. 'Being tied up with wire with my hands behind my back for six months; being thrown out of the truck for two or three days; going two years without being taken to the bathroom, having to bathe with a jar, a cup of water, and a handkerchief,' he said. He was released from prison in 1985 after democracy was restored to the country. Four years later, he and other members of Tupamaros founded the Movement of Popular Participation (MPP), a party under which he won several legislative elections. In 2009, he launched his bid for president, winning in a runoff with more than 50% of the vote. Under his watch, between 2010 and 2015, Uruguay's economy expanded, and he implemented several progressive reforms. Uruguay legalized abortion, gay marriage, and allowed the recreational use of cannabis, becoming the first country in the world to do so. Mujica's supporters regarded him as one of the humblest leaders the country has ever had, pointing to his decision to forgo the presidential palace and live in a rural farmhouse during his term. In 2012, he gave CNN a tour of his farm, showing how he toiled the fields, planted fresh fruits and chrysanthemums, and drove around in an old Volkswagen Beetle. His modest life led many to refer to him as the 'world's poorest president,' a moniker he took issue with. 'I'm not a poor president; poor is someone who needs a lot,' he said in a 2014 interview with CNN. 'My definition is Seneca's. I'm a sober president; I need little to live, because I live the way I lived long before I became president. I still live the same way, in the same neighborhood, the same way, and I'm a republican president. I live the way most of my people live.' In April 2024, Mujica announced he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his esophagus. After months of treatment, his doctor said in August that the cancer in his esophagus appeared to be in remission, but that he had developed a 'kidney disease' due to radiation therapy to treat the tumor. In January, he said the cancer had spread to his liver, telling the Uruguayan media outlet Búsqueda that he was 'dying.' He chose to forgo additional treatment and asked to be left alone in the twilight of his life. 'I'm doomed, brother. This is as far as I go,' he said. Leaders across Latin America mourned the former president, saying the region had lost a beacon of hope and humility. Alberto Fernández, former president of neighboring Argentina, praised Mujica's modesty, calling him 'an example of austerity in a society that rewards those who amass fortunes.' Former Bolivian President Evo Morales, a fellow leftist leader who was in office roughly around the same time as Mujica, called him a 'brother' full of wisdom whose teachings would continue to live on. Chilean President Gabriel Boric echoed those sentiments, saying, 'If you left us anything, it was the unquenchable hope that things can be done better – 'step by step, so as not to go off the rails,' as you used to say.' CNN's Veronica Calderon contributed to this report.
