Latin America bids a heartfelt farewell to Pepe Mujica, its voice of integration and consensus.

"We're going to miss you so much, dear old man. Thank you for everything you gave us and for your deep love for your people." With this message, Yamandú Orsi, the current Uruguayan president, announced in X the death of his political mentor, " president, activist, role model, and leader ."

His former rival, former Uruguayan President Julio María Sanguinetti, on the other hand, expressed his "deep regret" and acknowledged the "times of confrontation" that had turned into "hours of sowing harmony and tolerance."

One of Mujica's closest friends in the region, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , acknowledged that the Uruguayan's death leaves him "full of sadness."

"His life was an example that political struggle and tenderness can go hand in hand. And that courage and strength can be accompanied by humility and detachment," Lula said in a statement.

From neighboring Argentina, former President Cristina Fernández (2007-2015) described Mujica as "a great man who dedicated his life to activism and his country," while former President Alberto Fernández (2019-2023) defined him as "an example of austerity in a society that rewards those who amass fortunes."

The two voices of the Argentine left contrast with the silence of the current ruler, Javier Milei , who is the ideological opposite of Mujica.

For his part, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, who visited Mujica in February of this year, joined in the tributes : "Dear Pepe, I imagine you leaving worried about the bitterness of the world today. But if you left us anything, it was the unquenchable hope that it's possible to do things better, step by step, so as not to go off the rails, as you told us."

Condolences also came from Nicolás Maduro, a Venezuelan leader whom Mujica criticized as authoritarian but who nevertheless expressed his "condolences" and even his "affection" for the former Uruguayan president, whom he remembered as a "humble man and tireless social activist."

Transversal respect

Mujica, who inspires respect across a broad ideological spectrum, was also honored by the Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular, led by the exiled Leopóldo López: "We recognize in him a man who defended the value of democracy over dictatorships."

A declared admirer of the former Uruguayan president is Gustavo Petro , the Colombian president, who bid farewell to the "great revolutionary" by recalling his vocation for regional integration and hoping that "I hope Latin America will one day have an anthem."

Petro, a guerrilla fighter in his youth with the M-19, emphasized that both men laid down their weapons because they understood "that peace was the most important, most revolutionary thing in a society."

From Bolivia, President Luis Arce said he sees in his "brother and comrade" Mujica "a true beacon of hope, humility, and the fight for social justice."

"His legacy will live on in our hearts, in the history of Uruguay and the Greater Homeland, always reminding us of the importance of not giving up on our mission to achieve a more just and united world," the Bolivian leader emphasized.

Former Bolivian presidents from different ideological persuasions also lamented the death of the political figure, such as Evo Morales (2006-2019), who said they carried with them his "advice full of experience and wisdom," and Carlos Mesa (2003-2005), who highlighted his "great intellectual and ethical coherence."

For her part, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described Mujica as an "example for Latin America and the entire world for the wisdom, thought, and simplicity that characterized him."

From Cuba, President Miguel Díaz-Canel highlighted the Uruguayan's "extraordinary life" as a testament to "the dark era of Washington-sponsored military dictatorships, but also" to the "hopeful era of the leftist regime in power and the unfulfilled dream of integration."

The Peruvian government highlighted his "humility, his closeness to the people, and his commitment to the common good" and extended its condolences "to all those who shared with him the dream of a more just and united world."

For Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, Mujica was "a moral and human example." "I had the honor of meeting him and learning from his wisdom and humility," he added.

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña Nieto acknowledged the "enormous differences" that distanced him from Mujica, but emphasized "the shared vision, which was that we had to be united in Latin America."

Praise also came from Guatemala, from President Bernardo Arévalo de León, who remembered him as an "example of humility" and "leadership understood as service always to those who need it most."

Xiomara Castro, president of Honduras, called him a "giant of politics" and recalled the "simplicity of the wise" after meeting Mujica.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino sent his "deepest condolences to the Uruguayan people," while the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry emphasized Mujica's "democratic commitment and fight for social justice."

The former Uruguayan president once called the Nicaraguan regime "monstrous," but even that didn't stop the country's husband and wife co-presidents, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo , from remembering him as an "exceptional human being."

"Today we bid farewell to a friend and comrade, with whom we share, amid so many difficulties, missteps, and fragile understandings, the essential nature of the people's battle against injustice," Ortega and Murillo emphasized in their message.

The outpouring of condolences from Latin American leaders demonstrates that Mujica's legacy transcends national borders and that he will be remembered as an emblematic voice of the left in the region, but also as a moral figure in global politics.