He gives away the majority of his salary to charity (Image: Getty)
Presidency is often associated with lavish homes, in-house staff, and expensive convoy vehicles, but it’s not always the case.
The “poorest ever president” opted for a 1987 car during his time in office, gave most of his money to , and earned around £500 a month.
Living off a dirt road outside the capital guarded by his three-legged dog and two police officers, Jose Mujicawas president of Uruguay from 2010-2015.
He turned down the lavish presidential palace to stay in his wife’s humble farmhouse.
Mujica’s choice to work the land while running the country sets a unique tone among presidents, reflecting his beliefs about and the meaning of real wealth.
He gave roughly 90% of his salary, equivalent to $12,000 (£7,500), to less affluent communities and entrepreneurs, meaning he earned around the average Uruguayan income of $775 (£485) a month while he was in office.
Don’t miss…
Jose Mujica was first elected in 2009 (Image: Getty)
“I’ve lived like this most of my life, I can live well with what I have,” he told the .
In 2010, his annual mandatory amounted to the value of his 1987 Volkswagen Beetle, $1,800 (£1,100).
It reached $215,000 (£135,000) this year, after adding half of his wife’s assets, including land, tractors and a house, which is about a third of the declared figure by his predecessor, Tabare Vasquez.
He was shot six times and spent 14 years in jail after being part of the Uruguayan guerrilla Tupamaros, a leftist armed group, in the 1960s and 1970s.
He was freed in 1985 after time in jail often spent in isolation as Uruguay returned to democracy, and then elected in 2009.
Now, his outlook on life shaped by his experiences raises many questions about modern day consumerism.
Don’t miss…
He shared his thoughts at the Rio+20 summit in June this year: “We’ve been talking all afternoon about sustainable development. To get the masses out of poverty.
“But what are we thinking? Do we want the model of development and consumption of the rich countries? I ask you now: what would happen to this planet if Indians would have the same proportion of cars per household than Germans? How much oxygen would we have left?
“Does this planet have enough resources so seven or eight billion can have the same level of consumption and waste that today is seen in rich societies? It is this level of hyper-consumption that is harming our planet.”
He told the : “I’m called ‘the poorest president’, but I don’t feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more.”