World's poorest president Jose 'Pepe' Mujica dead at 89

José 'Pepe' Mujica, famously dubbed the world’s poorest president, has died aged 89.

His death was confirmed by Uruguay’s newly elected president, Yamandú Orsi, who paid tribute to his mentor on X.

 “Thank you for everything you gave us and for your deep love for your people,” read the online post.

Gracias pic.twitter.com/NfbERs2ETJ

— Yamandú Orsi (@OrsiYamandu) May 13, 2025

While the official cause of death has not been disclosed, Mujica had publicly revealed in 2023 that he was battling oesophageal cancer.

According to BBC, Mujica captured global attention not for wealth or power but for rejecting both. As president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015, he turned down the presidential palace, chose to live in his modest farmhouse with his wife, and gave away most of his salary.

He drove an old light blue 1987 Volkswagen Beetle and lived without domestic staff or heavy security.

“They call me the poorest president. But I’m not,” Mujica once said. “Poor are those who want more and more. They are in an endless race.”

His unorthodox approach to leadership earned him admiration far beyond Uruguay’s 3.4 million citizens. Yet, behind the simplicity was a man with a complex past.

Born in Montevideo to a middle-class family, Mujica became politically active in his youth and joined the National Party before turning to radical activism.

In the 1960s, he helped found the Tupamaros National Liberation Movement (MLN-T), a leftist urban guerrilla group inspired by Cuba’s revolution.

He was shot, imprisoned four times, and escaped twice. Mujica spent over 14 years in prison under the military dictatorship, much of it in solitary confinement. He later recalled speaking to ants to cope with the isolation.

Freed in 1985 following the return to democracy, Mujica abandoned militancy for politics. He was elected to both legislative houses and served as agriculture minister in 2005 before winning the presidency in 2010.

Despite his austere lifestyle, Mujica’s government implemented progressive reforms that made international headlines.

Uruguay became the first country to legalise marijuana, and also passed laws legalising abortion and same-sex marriage. The economy grew steadily, poverty fell, and unemployment remained low.

However, critics argued that public spending surged under his watch, widening the fiscal deficit. Mujica also faced scrutiny for not delivering on education reforms.

Still, he left office with an approval rating nearing 70% and no taint of corruption.

Unlike other Latin American leaders, Mujica didn’t cling to power or wealth. He stepped down gracefully in 2015, returned briefly to the Senate, then retired from politics in 2020. But he never stopped preaching his message of simplicity and justice.

 His successor and political protégé, Yamandú Orsi, was elected president in 2024, with Mujica’s coalition securing a historic parliamentary majority.

Even in his final year, Mujica remained philosophical. After revealing his cancer diagnosis, he spoke often of death as a natural part of life, unafraid and untroubled.