José Mujica, the “poorest president in the world,” has passed away

José (Pepe) Mujica, the former president of Uruguay, passed away yesterday at the age of 89. He had been diagnosed with cancer in May 2024.

During his presidency (2010-2015), unemployment dropped from 13% to 7%, and poverty fell from 40% to 11%. He legalized abortion, same-sex marriage, and cannabis, making Uruguay the first country in the world to legalize cannabis in 2013.

Known as the “poorest president in the world,” he continued to drive a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle, donated most of his salary to a social housing program, and turned down the presidential palace, choosing instead to live on a farm with his wife and a three-legged dog.

His wife, Lucía Topolansky, a former member of the Tupamaros and a congresswoman, became the first female vice president of Uruguay in 2017.

As a member of the Marxist liberation movement “Tupamaros,” he was tortured and imprisoned for 13 years, mainly during the military dictatorship (1973-85). He was later elected as a congressman, senator, appointed minister, and eventually became president of the country, which has a population of 3.4 million.

He was one of the most successful leaders during the “pink tide,” a wave of left-wing presidents elected in Latin America in the early 21st century, following years of military dictatorships and conservative political governments.

Unlike many other Latin American leaders, he maintained good relations with the United States and refused to alter his country’s constitution to extend his presidency.