Tengrinews.kz - Former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, who is called the poorest president in the world, has refused cancer treatment and said goodbye to his compatriots, according to the local portal elDiario.es.
As the politician said, the cancer discovered in his esophagus has now spread to his liver.
"The cancer in my esophagus is colonizing my liver. I can't stop it with anything. Why? Because I'm old and I have two chronic diseases. Neither chemical treatment nor surgery are suitable for me because my body can't handle it," he said.
Mujica also announced that he will no longer give interviews and has no plans to undergo new treatments.
"What I ask is to leave me alone. Don't bother me with empty interviews or anything else. My cycle has long since ended. Frankly, I'm dying, and a warrior has the right to rest," added the former president of Uruguay.
Mujica said he had already prepared everything to be buried in the small plot of land where he lived for many years.
As confirmed by the Uruguayan agency EFE, the politician's personal physician Raquel Pannone will hold a press conference to provide additional details about the former president's health.
Mujica was president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015, after which he was elected to the country's parliament. In August 2018, he wrote a statement resigning from his powers, despite the fact that his term was not due to expire until 2020. The former president explained this by saying that he was "tired after a long journey."
It should be noted that, as president, Jose Mujica refused to live in the presidential palace, and he also donated most of his salary to charity. At the time he took office, he only owned a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle.
