José Mujica was often bemused by the label of “world’s poorest president”. The Uruguayan former guerrilla fighter drew global camera crews to the tiny nation throughout his 2010-15 term by forgoing the presidential palace for his small farmhouse and government cars for his ageing Volkswagen Beetle.

Mourners wept, raised their arms and marched behind the flag-draped casket of former President José Mujica on Wednesday as thousands bid a poignant farewell to the iconic leader in the Uruguayan capital.

I t is not a flashy country and José Mujica, who died on May 13th aged 89, became its epitome. As Uruguay’s president from 2010 to 2015 he continued to drive a battered sky-blue Volkswagen Beetle and to lunch in workaday bars on the main street of Montevideo,