MONTEVIDEO, (Reuters) – Uruguayan President Jose Mujica has listed nothing but a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle worth $1,920 in a sworn statement detailing his assets.
Mujica, a former leftist guerrilla, took office in March and he is popular in the small ranching nation for his modest lifestyle and down-to-earth attitude.
The 75-year-old president’s sworn statement, made public this week, shows Mujica has no debt — or savings — and does not own any other property.
Mujica’s presidential salary is $11,680 per month, but he donates most of that to the ruling leftist coalition and a public housing program.
Mujica has refused to move to the official presidential residence, opting to stay in the simple home his senator wife owns on the outskirts of the capital, Montevideo.
The leftist leader, who shuns formal suits and ties, was jailed for more than a decade for his guerrilla activities during the 1960s and 1970s.