Spanish
Montevideo.- Accompanied by thousands of people, the funeral procession of the former president of Uruguay José Mujica departed this Wednesday from the Executive Tower of Montevideo towards the Legislative Palace, where his remains will be veiled.
A few meters from the exit, at the door of the Estévez Palace and accompanied by the widow of Mujica, Lucía Topolansky, the current president, Yamandú Orsi, placed the national flag on the coffin, which is being transported on a gun carriage.
Minutes later, amid applause, the funeral procession departed towards 18 de Julio Avenue in Montevideo - the capital's main avenue - along which it will march towards the headquarters of the National Liberation Movement Tupamaros.
In front of the gun carriage, hundreds of militants from the Movimiento de Participación Popular, a historic sector of the Frente Amplio created by the former president, march with flags and dressed in black with a t-shirt on their back that reads: "I'm not leaving, I'm arriving."
Said phrase was pronounced by Mujica on March 1, 2015, when he left the Presidency of the country after five years.
"I'm not leaving, I'm arriving. I will leave with my last breath and wherever I am, I will be for you, I will be with you, because it is the superior way of being with life. Thank you, dear people," he emphasized.
After stopping in front of the headquarters of the National Liberation Movement Tupamaros, the funeral procession will continue its journey and do the same in front of the headquarters of the Movimiento de Participación Popular and the Frente Amplio, both located in the center of Montevideo.
Meanwhile, at 3:00 PM local time (6:00 PM GMT) the wake will begin, which will be held in the Hall of Lost Steps of the Legislative Palace of Montevideo, where the general public will be able to enter. For the moment it is not confirmed whether it will extend for 24 hours or 36.
Pepe Mujica passed away this Tuesday in Montevideo at the age of 89, a year after they discovered a malignant tumor in his esophagus and when he was a week away from turning 90.
"With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our colleague Pepe Mujica. President, militant, reference, and leader. We will miss you very much, dear old friend. Thank you for everything you gave us and for your deep love for your people," announced President Orsi on his X account.
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On April 29th of last year, Mujica announced in a press conference that he had a tumor in his esophagus. Shortly after, he revealed that it was malignant and that it had to be treated with radiotherapy, a procedure to which he was subjected in Montevideo.
At the beginning of this year, the former president reported in an interview with the local weekly Búsqueda that the cancer that was discovered in his esophagus had spread to his liver.
