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.

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.

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,