Former Uruguayan leader Jose Mujica, known as the world's poorest president, has died at the age of 90. This was announced by the current head of state, Yamandu Orsi.
"With deep sorrow, we inform you that our colleague Jose Mukika has passed away. President, activist, leader... "Thank you for everything you have given us and for your deep love for your people," he wrote on his page on the social network X.
The Uruguayan government declared a state of mourning in the country until May 16. The Minister of Internal Affairs of the country, Carlos Negro, expressed hope for the participation of foreign delegations in the funeral.
For information, Jose Mujica was born on May 20, 1935. In his youth, Tupamaros was a member of the left-wing radical partisan movement, for which he served 14 years in military prisons. He served as President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015, then was elected to the country's parliament.
In August 2018, he wrote a resignation letter despite the expiration of his term in 2020. The former president attributed this to "fatigue from the long journey."
As head of state, he led a very modest life. He lived with his wife in a country house and spent almost all his earnings on charity. For this reason, the media began to call him "the poorest president in the world." Mujica's presidency was memorable for Uruguay being the first in the world to legalize marijuana.
In 2024, Jose Mujica was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. In January, he said goodbye to his compatriots, saying that cancer had begun to spread to other organs. The former president of Uruguay refused to treat cancer. He stated that he had made all the arrangements for his burial.
During his presidency, Jose Mujica refused to live in the palace, moreover, he spent most of his salary on charity. During his tenure as president, his only possession was a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle.
