Colombia’s elephant-costumed anti-corruption activist sworn in as senator
Summary
Luis Carlos Rúa was sworn in as a Colombian senator while wearing a white elephant costume. He became well-known by exposing unfinished and wasted public projects in Colombia under the name "Elefante blanco" and only revealed his identity shortly before the election.Key Facts
- Luis Carlos Rúa, aged 34, ran for senator mostly anonymously as the character Elefante blanco (White Elephant).
- The White Elephant name refers to public projects that are costly but abandoned or useless.
- Rúa’s videos exposing public work issues gained hundreds of thousands of views and helped restart some projects.
- He received about 124,000 votes and won a Senate seat among 102 new Colombian senators.
- He started making videos in 2021 after moving to Medellín due to threats while working in Pereira’s local government.
- Rúa chose to wear the elephant costume during official events but removes it at times.
- To fund his activism, he did freelance work, sold plush toys, and ran crowdfunding campaigns before deciding to become a senator.
- Political experts see his success as a sign of people’s growing distrust in traditional politics and the power of social media in elections.
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