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.

Crowds have poured into the streets of Uruguay’s capital to bid a poignant farewell to former President José Mujica, a guerrilla fighter-turned-pioneering leader who became an icon of the Latin American left,