Who was José Mujica? Uruguay’s iconic ex-president, who lived like the poor

Uruguay’s current president, Yamandú Orsi, announced the news on social media.

“Thank you for everything you gave us and for your deep love for the people,”  he wrote on X.

The cause of death has not been officially confirmed, but Mujica had been living with esophageal cancer.

Who was he?

Mujica served as president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015.

Known affectionately as “Pepe,” he gained international recognition not just for leading a small South American country, but for living like an ordinary citizen.

He donated most of his salary, drove an old Volkswagen Beetle, and lived in a modest house outside the capital, Montevideo.

While in office, Mujica led Uruguay through a series of progressive reforms.

Under him, the country became the first in the world to legalise the production and sale of marijuana.

Abortion was also legalised, and same-sex marriage was approved during his term.

His plain speech and simple lifestyle made him one of Latin America’s most admired leaders, even beyond the region.

Before entering politics, Mujica was a leftist guerrilla and a founding member of the Tupamaros National Liberation Movement.

In the 1960s and 70s, the group carried out armed resistance against what it saw as an unjust system. Mujica was imprisoned multiple times, shot, tortured, and kept in solitary confinement for long periods.

He spent a total of 14 years behind bars, much of it during Uruguay’s military dictatorship.

He once said that the happiest day of his life was not when he became president, but when he was freed from prison.

The years in jail left deep marks on him, but they also shaped his thinking and his commitment to a simpler, more equal society.

José Mujica leaves behind a political legacy that made Uruguay known around the world for its progressive policies and a leader who proved that power does not need luxury.