MONTEVIDEO, Sept 14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Uruguay's leftist ex-president Jose Mujica left hospital on Friday after successfully undergoing a stomach operation for complications related to cancer treatment, his doctor said.

Doctor Raquel Pannone told a press conference that the 89-year-old former leader, widely known by his nickname "Pepe," had been transferred Friday afternoon to his farm on the outskirts of Montevideo to continue his recovery there.

"Pepe is doing better. The procedure he underwent on Saturday (September 7), a gastrostomy to achieve good feeding and hydration, worked," she said.

The operation involves connecting a tube directly into the stomach.

Once known as the world's "poorest president" for giving away most of his salary and driving an old Volkswagen Beetle, Mujica was diagnosed in early May with esophageal cancer.

He was rushed to the hospital last week, with Pannone saying he had digestive problems caused by radiotherapy for his cancer.

The stomach tube will remain inserted "as long as necessary" until his esophageal wounds heal, the doctor added.

Mujia, a former guerilla fighter, became a cult figure during his rule from 2010 to 2015, partly for his modest lifestyle.

On his watch, Uruguay passed a number of progressive laws -- legalizing abortion and gay marriage and becoming the first country in the world to allow recreational cannabis use in 2013.

He remains a figurehead of the Broad Front, the leftist coalition in power from 2005 until it was ousted in 2019 elections by center-right leader Luis Lacalle Pou.