Passing of former president “Pepe” Mujica

The Government of Brazil has learned with profound sorrow of the passing today of the former President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, José Alberto “Pepe” Mujica, at the age of 89, in Montevideo.

A great friend of Brazil, former President Mujica was an ardent champion of MERCOSUR, UNASUR and CELAC, a principal architect of South-American and Latin-American integration, and, above all, one of the foremost humanists of our time. His commitment to building a more just, democratic, and solidarity-based international order stands as an example to all.

On 5 December last year, during a visit to Montevideo, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva conferred upon “Pepe” Mujica the National Order of the Southern Cross (Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul), the highest decoration Brazil bestows on foreign nationals. On that occasion, President Lula described him as “the most extraordinary person” among the presidents with whom he had served.

Mujica’s legacy will endure, guiding all who genuinely believe that regional integration is an essential path to development and that we possess the capacity to build a better world for future generations.

At this moment of grief, the Government of Brazil extends its deepest condolences and solidarity to his widow, Lucía Topolansky, to the family of the former President, and to the Government and people of Uruguay.