34岁的哥伦比亚反腐活动人士Luis Carlos Rúa以"白象"(Elefante blanco)角色参选参议员，获得约124,000票成为当选票数最多的参议员之一[1]。他在参议院宣誓就职时穿着大象服装，成为哥伦比亚历史上首位以这种方式就职的参议员[1]。
Rúa过去五年来通过社交媒体揭露哥伦比亚浪费性的公共工程项目[1]。2021年11月，他发布了首段视频开展这一行动[1]。仅在选举前三天，他才向公众披露自己的真实身份[1]。2019年，他因举报腐败而收到过死亡威胁[1]。Rúa的父亲Darío Rúa于2024年在一处路面坑洞摔倒后去世，享年85岁[1]。
Luis Carlos Rúa, a 34-year-old anti-corruption campaigner, has been sworn in as a senator in Colombia while wearing an elephant costume, marking the first time in history that a senator has taken office in this manner.[1] Running under the symbolic identity of "Elefante blanco" (white elephant), Rúa received approximately 124,000 votes, making him one of Colombia's top vote-getters in the election.[1] He did not reveal his true identity until just three days before the election.[1]
Rúa's unconventional political journey stems from five years of activism exposing wasteful public works projects in Colombia through social media campaigns.[1] His anti-corruption work has carried significant personal risk; he received death threats in 2019 following his reporting of corruption and began posting his first videos about these issues in November 2021.[1] His crusade took on added meaning following a personal tragedy—his father, Darío Rúa, died in 2024 at the age of 85 after falling into a pothole, an incident that underscored the consequences of infrastructure neglect.[1]
Since entering the Senate, Rúa has already participated in significant legislative action. The chamber voted 58 to 30 to relocate the presidential inauguration ceremony from Bogotá to Cali.[1]