Latin America’s leftist leaders remember Uruguay’s ‘Pepe’ Mujica as generous, charismatic leader

MONTEVIDEO Uruguay AP In the soaring palace of Uruguay s parliament leftist presidents from the region came to remember former President Jose Mujica on Thursday as a generous and charismatic leader whose legacy of humility remained an example for the world s politicians A person like Pepe Mujica doesn t die Brazil s President Luiz In cio Lula da Silva commented as he paid his respects to his longtime friend widely known as Pepe at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo where his body lay in state eulogizing the onetime Marxist guerrilla who spent over a decade in prison in the s as a superior human being His body is gone But the ideas he put forward over the years demonstrate the generosity of a man who spent years in prison and managed to emerge without hatred toward the people who imprisoned and tortured him Lula announced Approaching the coffin tears streamed down his face Lula pulled Mujica s lifelong and fellow politician -year-old Luc a Topolansky into a hug and planted a kiss on her forehead Mujica a member of Uruguay s leftist Broad Front coalition elected in and Lula the standard-bearer of Brazil s Workers Party who started his second term in belonged to a generation of leftist leaders elected to office across Latin America in the early years of this century The movement s power faded in up-to-date years as a few governments became embroiled in corruption scandals But Mujica stood out for keeping his reputation for honesty and humility intact Lula frequently met Mujica in his three-room farmhouse on the outskirts of Montevideo where after retiring from the Senate the former president tended to his chrysanthemums and dispensed wisdom to a range of visitors from rock band Aerosmith to philosopher Noam Chomsky It s also where Mujica died at age on Tuesday after more than a year spent battling esophageal cancer Another leftist leader paying tribute to Mujica in Montevideo on Thursday was Chile s president Gabriel Boric On learning of Mujica s death on Tuesday both Boric and Lula jetted to Uruguay from Beijing where they had been meeting Chinese administrators They were received by Uruguay s moderate left-wing president Yamand Orsi who was Mujica s preferred candidate in last fall s presidential elections Life goes on causes remain Boric wrote on social media Thank you dear Pepe we will carry you with us in every fight Source