Colombian Senator Sworn In Wearing a White Elephant Costume

When the new Colombian Senate was sworn in about two weeks ago, among the 102 senators was a rather unusual figure: the new senator Luis Carlos Roa, who arrived at the plenary session dressed as a white elephant with large ears and a long trunk.

The 34-year-old Roa has a unique career path. An electrical engineer by training, he became a prominent anti-corruption activist after witnessing firsthand the mismanagement of public funds. For years, the white elephant costume served as his way of maintaining anonymity in a country where such activism is high-risk. The choice of costume is symbolic: in Latin American Spanish, a "white elephant" refers to massive, expensive, and useless state-funded infrastructure projects that are never completed and remain desolate.

Over five years of anonymous social media activity, Roa accumulated around half a million followers by exposing corruption in bridges, schools, and hospitals. He revealed his identity just three days before the legislative elections. His campaign, which relied entirely on online platforms without traditional billboards or rallies, secured him 124,000 votes, allowing him to win a seat as an independent senator.

Now, Roa is adjusting to life in the Senate, but he has not forgotten the "elephant in the room." He wore the costume to his swearing-in ceremony, removing the headpiece only occasionally. He intends to use the costume during significant debates, while wearing a formal suit for routine sessions.

One of Roa's first legislative priorities is a bill requiring local authorities to allocate dedicated budgets for road repairs. The law will be named after his father, Dario Roa, who passed away in 2024 at the age of 85 after falling on a street riddled with potholes.