Former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, often hailed as the “world’s poorest president” for his famously modest lifestyle, has died at the age of 89.

The revered leftist leader, known as much for his unshakable humility as for his progressive politics, passed away after a battle with oesophageal cancer that later spread to his liver.

Uruguay’s current President, Yamandú Orsi, announced Mujica’s death on X, formerly Twitter, writing, “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. 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.”

Jose Mujica: From Rebel to President

Mujica’s life story reads like a historical epic. Inspired by the Cuban Revolution, he joined the Tupamaros, a Marxist guerrilla group that led an armed insurgency in Uruguay during the 1960s and 70s.

Captured during the country’s military dictatorship, he spent nearly 15 years in prison—many of those in solitary confinement.

In a 2020 interview, Jose Mujica reflected on his time behind bars: “Being tied up with wire with my hands behind my back for six months… going two years without being taken to the bathroom.”

When democracy was restored in 1985, Jose Mujica was released and gradually re-entered politics.

He co-founded the Movement of Popular Participation (MPP), through which he was elected to Uruguay’s legislature.

In 2010, he achieved a remarkable political comeback by winning the presidency with more than 50% of the vote.

A Presidency Marked by Progress and Principle

Serving as president from 2010 to 2015, Mujica left a deep imprint on Uruguay’s social fabric. Under his leadership, the country experienced stable economic growth and enacted some of Latin America’s most progressive reforms.

Uruguay became the first nation to legalise recreational cannabis, and also passed landmark legislation legalising abortion and same-sex marriage.

Yet it was Mujica’s personal choices that truly set him apart on the world stage. He refused to move into the presidential palace, choosing instead to remain at his humble farmhouse with his wife, Senator Lucía Topolansky.

He drove a beat-up Volkswagen Beetle, grew vegetables, and donated about 90% of his salary to charities and small entrepreneurs.

Despite the global attention he received for his frugal lifestyle, Mujica downplayed the label of “the world’s poorest president,” insisting: “I’m not a poor president; poor is someone who needs a lot. I’m a sober president. I need little to live, because I live the way I lived long before I became president.”

A Graceful Exit

In April 2024, Mujica revealed that he had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.

As his health declined, he chose to forgo further treatment.

In one of his final interviews in early 2025, he told a local outlet, Busqueda, “I’m doomed, brother. This is as far as I go.”

True to his values, Mujica spent his final days on the same farm where he had lived for decades surrounded by the land, animals, and people he loved.

Jose Mujica’s life was a rare blend of revolution and restraint, power and principle. He may have rejected the title, but to many across the world, he will forever remain the world’s poorest—and richest—president.

Vanguard News