Former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica says he has esophageal cancer

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Jose Mujica, the former president of Uruguay known for his bold socialist 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 and making Uruguay the first nation in the world to fully legalize recreational marijuana.