Former Uruguay President Jose Mujica dies aged 89

Leftist ex-president Jose Mujica turned the South American country into a bastion of progressive politics. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2024.

The former leftist president of Uruguay, Jose "Pepe" Mujica, has passed away at the age of 89, Uruguay's current President Yamandu Orsi announced on Tuesday.

"With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend," Orsi said on X.

In May 2024, Mujica was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus which then spread to his liver.

Earlier in the week, his wife Lucia Topolansky had said that he was receiving palliative care.

Mexico's Sheinbaum hails Mujica's 'wisdom'

Leftist leaders from across Latin America and beyond have paid tribute to the late Mujica.

"I always remember his advice, full of experience and wisdom," former Bolivian president Evo Morales said, describing Mujica as a "brother."

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a post on X that Mujica was an "example for Latin America and the entire world" and was a model of "wisdom, thought and simplicity."

Brazil's government — led by the left-wing Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva — said Mujica was "one of the most important humanists of our time".

Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the former Uruguayan president had "believed in, campaigned for and lived for … a better world."

Pioneer for abortion, gay marriage

Mujica garnered popularity as the "world's poorest president" during his term from 2010 to 2015. An ex-guerrilla fighter, he gave away much of his salary while in office to charity.

An outspoken critic of consumer culture, Mujica often wore sandals to official events.

He also eschewed the trappings of high office. Rather than live at the Residencia de Suarez presidential palace in Montevideo, he continued living on his small farm on the outskirts of the Uruguayan capital.

Mujica turned Uruguay into a bastion of liberal, progressive politics — a particularly noteworthy achievement in Latin America, a region that is often associated with corruption and authoritarian governments.

During his five years in office, Mujica legalized abortion and gay marriage. 

He also made Uruguay the first country in the world to fully legalize recreational use of cannabis in 2013.

Former guerilla turned statesman

Mujica co-founded the Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla movement Tupamaros in the 1960s.

During that period, he was shot multiple times and participated in a mass jailbreak.

He was captured after the Tupamaros collapsed in 1972, and spent the entirety of Uruguay's dictatorship from 1973 to 1985 behind bars. During that time, he was tortured and spent years in solitary confinement.

He became politically active after his release from prison, and founded the Movement of Popular Participation (MPP) in 1989.

In 1995 he was elected to Congress, and five years later became a senator, before being nominated as agriculture minister as part of the country's first left-wing government.

Mujica, who had no children, is survived by his wife Topolansky, who is also a former guerilla.

Edited by: Alex Berry