Iconic former Uruguayan President José Mujica is diagnosed with esophageal cancer

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — José Mujica, the former president of Uruguay known for his bold socially liberal agenda, says he has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. The 88-year-old Mujica says the tumor was discovered during a routine checkup last Friday. He says the diagnosis compounds his health problems as he also suffers from an autoimmune disease. Better known as “Pepe” Mujica, the former president, once a Marxist guerrilla, governed Uruguay from 2010 and 2015. His government was best known for legalizing same-sex marriage in the predominantly Roman Catholic country, boosting women’s rights and making Uruguay the first nation in the world to fully legalize recreational marijuana. His folksy and self-effacing style made him into a leftist-liberal hero known around the world.