RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Former Uruguayan President José “Pepe” Mujica, who became known as the “poorest head of state in the world” for his rural lifestyle, confirmed his early retirement from politics due to age and health issues on Sunday, September 27th, midway through the Uruguayan departmental and municipal elections.
“I love politics and I didn’t want to go, but I love life even more. I need to manage my remaining minutes well,” said Mujica, at 85, shortly after voting in the Sunday election.
Pepe, as the ex-president is nicknamed, hinted that he will resign from his position as senator by mid-October, for which he was elected in 2019. He claimed to suffer from a chronic immunological disease, which he failed to specify, which prevents him from “traveling back and forth” particularly amidst the pandemic – Mujica said he will not be able to be vaccinated for Covid-19 because of his health condition.
“Politics obviously forces me to have social relationships and I must take care of myself, I can’t travel back and forth because of the pandemic and that would be something negative for a senator,” he said.
This is not the first time Pepe Mujica has retired. In 2018, before his last Senate election, he had also announced that he would step down from politics because he was “tired of the long trip”.
Mujica was elected president of Uruguay in 2009 by the Frente Amplio, the main leftist coalition in Uruguay. He ruled the country for five years, between 2010 and 2015 – the Uruguayan Constitution bans direct reelection.
During his mandate, Mujica became known for his progressive policies, particularly the legalization of abortion and marijuana.
He earned the nickname “the poorest head of state in the world” because, despite being president, he chose to continue living in a small rural home on the outskirts of Montevideo, driving an old blue VW Beetle, and using the Uruguayan public health service with no privileges.
Mujica is also known to have taken part in armed guerrilla warfare against the dictatorship in Uruguay during his youth. He spent 13 years in prison between the 1970s and 1980s.
Source: Veja