Colombia has sworn in an “elephant” as a senator in an oath taking ceremony marking the start of the country’s latest parliamentary session with 102 new senators, including 69 men, 1 elephant and 32 women.
The new sworn-in senator is not literally an animal but he walked the narrow central aisle of Congress’s ceremonial chamber wearing the costume of an elephant.
The 34-year-old Luis Carlos Rua, an anti-corruption activist who ran most of his campaign from behind the costume and only revealed his identity just three days before the voting, described himself as Elefante blanco.
Elefante blanco means a white elephant, a term used in reference to corruption in government projects such as overpriced, abandoned or ultimately useless public works. He has been exposing such white elephants for the past five years on social media and gained a massive following among Colombians.
Carlos became the most voted candidate for the country’s senator with over 124,000 votes. Speaking after the ceremony via a video call, the “elephant” dressed in formal attire said: “The inauguration day was spectacular because nothing like it had ever happened anywhere in the world. No senator had ever taken office like that.”
Rua’s “White Elephant” character originated in 2019 when he was working at mayor’s office in Pereira where he witnessed administration pressuring employees to secure votes for a candidate. He recorded the conversation and leaked it to the press.
The activist left the city due to death threats; however, exposing corruption became his mission and he posted his first video anonymously in November 2021.
Talking about choosing a mysterious and anonymous identity for himself, Rua said: “Here in Colombia, if you don’t do things the way the crooked people want, you are not welcome.”
2026-08-05 00:47:00
