Jose Muhika passed away, a brave Uruguayan politician known as the ‘poorest president’ in the world – BBC News in Serbian

Jose Alberto Muhika Kordano, known as « Pepe » Muhik, died 13. May in 89. years.

The former guerie who ruled Uruguay since 2010. until 2015. was known as the « poorest president » in the world due to its modest lifestyle.

Due to the simple way he lived as president, critiquing and social reforms, which, among other things, have become the first country that legalized the recreational use of marijuana – Muhika has become a well-known political person in Latin America, but also beyond.

Its popularity at the world level was unusual for one president of Uruguay, the country with only 3.4 million inhabitants in which his heritage provoked some controversy.

Moreover, although many experienced a muhika as someone outside the political class, it was not like that.

He claimed that his passion for politics, just like the books and processing the country, was transferred by his mother, who raised him in the Central Dom in Montevide, the capital of the country.

As a young man, Muhika was a member of the National Party, one of the Uruguayan traditional political forces, which later became the opposition of the right to his government.

The sixties helped the establishment of the National Liberation Movement of Tupamaros (MLN-T), the left-wing urban guerrilla group, which performed attacks, abductions and executions, although he has always claimed that no murder has ever committed.

Inspired by the Cuban Revolution and International Socialism, MLN-T has launched a secret resistance campaign to Uruguayan government, who at the time was constitutional and democratic, although the left accused her was becoming all the authoritarian.

During that period, the muhika was trapped four times.

One of these occasions, 1970. years, was hit with six bullets and almost died.

He escaped from prison twice, one occasion through the tunnel with another 105 prisoners from MLN, in one of the largest escapes in the history of Uruguayan prisons.

When the Uruguay army was 1973. she made a public impact, included him in a group of « nine hostages » that threatened to kill if Guerrilla continued to attack.

For more than 14 years, he was in prison in the 1970s and eighties, was tortured and spent most of that time in cruel conditions and isolation, until he was released in 1985. years when Uruguay returned to democracy.

He had a habit of saying that during the time spent in prison, he experienced first-handed madness, suffering from delusion and even talking to ants.

The day he was exempted by his most beautiful memory, says: « Becoming the president was insignificant compared to that. »

From Guerrilla to the President

A few years after the release, he served as a Prophet, and in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, the lower and upper House of Parliament of the Earth.

In 2005, he became the Minister in the first government of Frente Amplio, the Uruguay’s Left Coolition, before he became Uruguayan President in 2010. years.

At that moment, he was 74 years old, for the rest of the world, was still unknown.

His election victory marked an important moment for Latin America left, which was already strong on the continent at the time.

Muhika became a leader together with other left-wing presidents such as Luiz Inasio Lula to Silva in Brazil and Ugo Cavez in Venezuela.

However, Muhika ruled in his own way, demonstrating for several occasions pragmatism and courage, claim political commentators.

During his administration, in the midst of a rather favorable international context, the Uruguayan economy grew at an annual average rate of 5.4 percent, the poverty was reduced, and unemployment remained low.

Uruguay also attracted world attention due to social laws adopted by parliament, such as legalization of abortion, recognizing same-sex marriage and the state regulations of marijuana market.

While in power, Muhika refused to move to the Presidential Residence (Villa), as the heads of the countries around the world usually do.

Instead, he remained with his wife – politician and former guerrilla Lucijah Popolan – in their modest home on the perimeter of Montevideo, without household assistance and with very little security.

This, in combination with the fact that she always dressed, that he could often see the light blue folkswagen bug from 1987. years and donated most of the salary stated some media to call him « the poorest president in the world. »

But Muhika has always rejected that title: « They say I’m the poorest president. No, I didn’t, » he told me in the interview in 2012. year in his home.

« The poor are those who always want more because they are in an endless race. »

Despite the Muhika preached a savings, his government significantly strengthened public spending, increasing the fiscal deficit and providing his opponents to accuse him of wastery.

Muhika was also criticized for failing to solve major problems of Uruguaya education, despite promising that education would be the main priority of his administration.

However, unlike other leaders in the region, was never charged with corruption or to undermine democracy in his country.

Towards the end of his administration, Muhika enjoyed high domestic public support (close to 70 percent) and was elected senator, but also spent part time traveling after it stopped being president.

« What, then, attracts the attention of the world? What I live with very little, in a simple house, what is I driving madly, because it surprises what is normal, » he said before he left his duty.

Muhika withdrew from Politika 2020. years, although the central person in Uruguay remained.

His political successor Jamanda Orsi was elected President of Uruguay in November, and his group within Frente Amplio provided the largest number of parliamentary places from the return of the country to democracy.

Last year, Muhik said that he had cancer and mention of his age and relentless proximity to death became more common – but he has always accepted the final outcome as something normal, without drama.

In the last interview he gave for the BBC in November, he said, « The man knows that death is inevitable. And she may be something like spices. »

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