In a decisive move, the Colombian Congress voted Tuesday to ban bullfighting, marking a significant victory for the animal-rights movement. The vote, with 93 votes in favor and only 2 against out of a total of 188 members, heralds the end of an era for the controversial spectacle in Colombia.
The bill, championed by President Gustavo Petro and supported by House Representative Alejandro García of the Green Party Alliance, needs to have the final text approved in the Senate. Once the Senate reconciles the bill, it will be sanctioned by President Petro.
The ban is expected to come into effect three years after the bill’s approval, in 2027. During this transition period, bullrings across the country will be repurposed into venues for cultural, artistic, and sporting events, such as concerts, plays, chess championships, and entrepreneurship fairs.
The road to banning bullfighting has faced legal obstacles since Petro was Mayor of Bogotá (2012-2015) and enacted the first ban on bullfighting in the Colombian capital. With overwhelming support in Congress, Colombia now joins a select group of countries worldwide that have outlawed the controversial spectacle.
“This is an opportunity for these underutilized spaces to become truly cultural, artistic, and sports venues,” emphasized García, highlighting the potential for positive change in cities like Manizales and Cali that host annual fairs where bullfighting is one of the main attractions.
Juan Carlos Losada of the Liberal Party underscored Colombia’s role a global reference with animal rights. “Colombia sets an example for the whole world because we are becoming a less violent and more civilized society,” he said.
The passing of the bill was met with jubilation in the House, with members chanting “No more olé!.” Not all representatives were in favor of the ban, with many from opposition parties, such as Centro Democrático (CD) and Cambio Radical (CR), abstaining from the vote.
Congressman Christian Garcés of CD advocated for an alternative bill to regulate bullfighting and reduce animal cruelty, while Ana María Monsalve, representative for Afro-Colombian communities, raised concerns about the livelihoods of those employed in the bullfighting industry.
President Petro, who had pledged to end bullfighting since taking office in 2022, congratulated those behind the ban, declaring: “Congratulations to those who finally achieved that death is not a spectacle. Those who enjoy the death of animals will end up enjoying the death of human beings.” The country’s Interior Minister Luis Fernando Velasco was less bombastic during a press briefing inside Congress, commenting that the end of bullfighting is a “leap to modernity.”
