José Mujica, RIP
By 
Former Uruguayan President José Mujica , a onetime Marxist guerilla and flower farmer whose radical brand of democracy, plain-spoken philosophy and simple lifestyle fascinated people around the world, has died. He was 89.
As leader of a violent leftist guerrilla group in the 1960s known as the Tupamaros, Mujica robbed banks, planted bombs and abducted businessmen and politicians on Montevideo’s streets in hopes of provoking a popular uprising that would lead to a Cuban-style socialist Uruguay.
A brutal counterinsurgency and ensuing right-wing military dictatorship that ruled Uruguay between 1973 and 1985 sent him to prison for nearly 15 years, 10 of which he spent in solitary confinement.
During his 2010-2015 presidency , Mujica, widely known as “Pepe,” oversaw the transformation of his small South American nation into one of the world’s healthiest and most socially liberal democracies. He earned admiration at home and cult status abroad for legalizing marijuana and same-sex marriage, enacting the region’s first sweeping abortion rights law and establishing Uruguay as a leader in alternative energy.
Through his remarkable political journey, Mujica captivated audiences with his humble tone, austere lifestyle and ideological earnestness.
Shunning the pomp and circumstance of the presidency, he drove a beat-up 1987 Volkswagen Beetle, wore rumpled cardigan sweaters and leather sandals with black socks and lived in a tiny tin-roof house outside Montevideo, where for decades he tended to chrysanthemums for sale in local markets.
He was an interesting guy too. Mujica really did reject pomp and circumstance. He really did believe in a sort of vow of poverty. And he never apologized for his role as a revolutionary but rather grew into understanding how to navigate the world he lived in while staying true to his values. He was also quite successful, both in terms of popularity and in terms of policy.
Mujica’s greatest innovations came on social issues. During his tenure, Uruguay became the first country in South America to legalize abortion for the first trimester and the first in the world to legalize the production, distribution and sale of marijuana. His government also legalized same-sex marriage, burnishing Uruguay’s progressive image in the predominantly Catholic region.
Mujica’s government also powered a green energy revolution in Uruguay. Today Uruguay is considered among the world’s most environmentally friendly nations, generating 98% of its electricity from biomass, solar and wind energy.
His tenure was also not without controversy. The opposition complained of rising crime and a swollen fiscal deficit on his watch that forced his successor to raise taxes.
Some world leaders disapproved of his disdain for the established order. Conservative Uruguayans voiced outrage over his progressive policies.
Still, Mujica ended his tenure with a 60% approval rating. Ineligible to seek re-election because of the constitution’s ban on consecutive terms, he continued to wield considerable influence as an elected senator.
What more could you want from a leader?