José Mujica

José Alberto Mujica Cordano (Montevideo, May 20 1934), Uruguayan Senator and Ex-Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries of Uruguay. Also known by his nickname "el Pepe".

Political alignment, and background

Ex deputy of parliament and current senator for the Broad Front Coalition, married in 2005 with fellow senator and historic leader of the Movement for Popular Participation, Lucía Topolansky (after many years of co-habitation).

Mujica received more votes than any other senator during the 2004 elections, a position he resigned from when he became Minister 2005-2008.

As a youth he was active in the National Party from which he moved to engage in clandestine guerrilla struggles as a member of the Tupamaros during the 1960s and 1970s. He was eventually captured and held in military prisons for 14 years. During his time in prison he came in contact with other leaders of the Tupamaros including Frente Amplio Senator Eleuterio Fernández Huidobro and the founder and leader of the Tupamaros Raúl Sendic.

In 1985 when Democracy was retored, Mujica was freed under a general amnesty for all common and political prisoners.

Several years after the restoration of democracy Mujica joined with other members of the Tupamaros to create the Movement of Popular Participation a political party within the Broad Front (Uruguay) coalition. The MPP won over 300,000 votes in the 2004 national elections, the largest of any faction with in the Broad Front (Uruguay) consolidating its position as the primary political force with the coalition.

Minister of Agriculture

On March 1st 2005 the president of the republic Tabaré Vázquez, designated Mujica as the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries. Upon becoming minister Mujica resigned his position as Senator. He held this position until a cabinet change in 2008 when he resigned and was replaced by Ernesto Agazzi. Mujica returned to his seat in the Uruguayan Senate.

ee also

* Politics of Uruguay

* List_of_political_families#Uruguay

References

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_3971000/3971191.stm]
* [http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mujica]