Sign in to follow this  
Dhagax-Tuur

Jose Mujica: The world's 'poorest' president

Recommended Posts

It's a common grumble that politicians' lifestyles are far removed from those of their electorate. Not so in Uruguay. Meet the president - who lives on a ramshackle farm and gives away most of his pay.

 

Laundry is strung outside the house. The water comes from a well in a yard, overgrown with weeds. Only two police officers and Manuela, a three-legged dog, keep watch outside.

 

This is the residence of the president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, whose lifestyle clearly differs sharply from that of most other world leaders.

 

President Mujica has shunned the luxurious house that the Uruguayan state provides for its leaders and opted to stay at his wife's farmhouse, off a dirt road outside the capital, Montevideo.

 

The president and his wife work the land themselves, growing flowers.

 

This austere lifestyle - and the fact that Mujica donates about 90% of his monthly salary, equivalent to $12,000 (£7,500), to charity - has led him to be labelled the poorest president in the world.

 

"I've lived like this most of my life," he says, sitting on an old chair in his garden, using a cushion favoured by Manuela the dog.

 

"I can live well with what I have."

 

His charitable donations - which benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs - mean his salary is roughly in line with the average Uruguayan income of $775 (£485) a month.

 

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20243493 Click here for the rest..

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Abwaan   

This guy deserves a Noble Prize. I wonder why reer Galbeed are not nominating him for that. Does that mean that they promote corruption and leaders who loot their countries' wealth.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Abwaan   

I know inuu yahay Latin American ee waxaan ka hadlayaa kuwii Sweden iyo Norway billadaha caalamiga ah ku bixin jirey. Mise kuwa wax la siiyo Kuma jiraan Latin Ameerikaanku?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Sign in to follow this