Introduction
Former President of Uruguay
Jose Mujica Cordanno was a Uruguayan farmer, politician, revolutionary and President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. His wife, Lucia Topolanski, served as Vice President of Uruguay from 2017 to 2020.
From guerrilla to president
Mujica was a member of the left-wing guerrillas in his early years. In the 1960s, he helped establish the left-wing guerrilla organization “National Liberation Movement”. He was arrested and imprisoned by the military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s, and suffered torture and imprisonment for 14 years. He then belonged to the left-wing party alliance “Broad Front” and served as Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries from 2005 to 2008, and then as a senator.
Presidential career
His presidency (2010–2015) was a crucial five years for the transformation of Uruguayan society. He promoted the legalization of same-sex marriage, the legalization of marijuana, abortion rights legislation and education reform, and worked to promote renewable energy, making Uruguay rank among the top in global sustainable development rankings. However, what makes him most respected by the world is not his policy achievements, but his lifestyle.
Loved by the people
On March 1, 2015, 79-year-old Uruguayan President Mujica stepped down. When he delivered a farewell speech in the country on the 27th, not only did he attract thousands of people to see him off, but many people also shed tears of excitement.
Life
The poorest president in the world
Mujica has been called “the poorest president in the world” by the Spanish media because of his simple lifestyle, but he is also “the most popular president in Latin America.”
After taking office, he announced that he would donate 90% of his monthly salary of approximately US$12,000 to charity and the homeless relief fund to support the poor and small entrepreneurs. He and his wife lived in a dilapidated farmhouse.
He didn’t have any security guards with him, didn’t wear a tie, and didn’t have any branded items on him. His net worth is only $215,000, and the assets he declared in 2012 were incredible: an old farmhouse and two plots of farmland in the suburbs of the capital, two 1987 Volkswagen Beetles, two tractors, and less than $200,000 in bank deposits.
Daily life
After taking office as president on March 1, 2010, Mujica refused to live in the presidential palace provided by the government and chose to live with his wife in a farmhouse in the capital because he said: “It is much bigger than the cell where I spent 14 years.”
On weekdays, there are only two police officers and a three-legged pet dog guarding his home. He also refused to be picked up by a personal escort or a bulletproof car, and drove his 25-year-old Beetle to and from get off work every day. This eccentric president also spends his weekends tending to his vegetable garden and taking his dog out for walks and watching football games.
Philosophy of life
No attachment to power
On October 20, 2020, Mujica announced his resignation from the Senate and his political career, citing the 2019 coronavirus pandemic and his own chronic immune system disease. “Success in life is not about winning, but about getting up again every time you fall,” he said when announcing his resignation in the Senate.
Views on wealth
He said: “The remaining amount is enough for me. If so many of my compatriots can’t even earn this amount, how can I say it is not enough?” He will donate part of his retirement funds in the future. Regarding being called the “poorest president in the world”, Mujica responded, “I am not poor, those who say I am poor are the real poor. It is true that I only have a few things, but frugality makes me feel very rich.”
Mujica explained that calling him a “poor man” stems from people’s misunderstanding of wealth. “I am not the ‘poorest’ president. The ‘poorest’ are those who need a lot of money to live.” “My history has nurtured me. For a while, I was very happy with only one mattress.”
Views on happiness
He said bluntly at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit: “We come to this world to pursue happiness, not for continuous development. Development should not be an obstacle to the pursuit of happiness.” He believes that excessive consumption in modern society has caused humans to gradually lose their sensitivity to life.
We focus too much on wealth rather than happiness
In his last magazine interview, he said: “To be honest, I am dying. But a soldier has the right to rest.” He also reminded the world: “We focus too much on wealth instead of happiness… Life is gone in the blink of an eye.”
Politics and power
His words and deeds demonstrate rare political integrity and subvert mainstream society’s imagination of power. He did not rely on deification or marketing, but won 60% of the national support by practicing his beliefs.
Mujica’s last wish was to be buried on the farm. He practiced simplicity throughout his life and testified to his beliefs with his death. He proved that politics does not have to rely on the splendor of power, but can be a practice of responsibility. He said: “Power does not change people, it only reveals their true nature.” This statement has been most credibly verified in him.
Biographies related to Mujica
Documentary
El Pepe, a Supreme Life (2018) is a Netflix documentary directed by Emile Kusturica, a Spanish-language documentary about Mujica’s life and values.
Biography
A biographical book and article about Mujica, “A Brief History of Urugua” (available in several editions), discusses Mujica’s influence on modern Uruguay.
His transformation from guerrilla fighter to beloved democratic leader is often covered in biographies and documentaries, such as “Pepe Mujica: From Guerrilla to President“.
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