Acrophobic Dutch Mayor Descends 100 Meters by Rope... Why?

Mayor Carries Out Rope Descent to Fulfill Election Pledge
"It Was a Fun Challenge, But the Message Is Serious"

The mayor of Rotterdam, a port city in the Netherlands, descended a 100-meter-high structure by rope in order to fulfill a pledge made during local elections. The mayor had previously promised that she would descend from the tower herself if voter turnout increased.

According to AFP and other foreign media outlets, Rotterdam Mayor Karola Schouten climbed down from an observatory 100 meters above the ground by rope with an expert on July 23 (local time). At the time, strong winds were blowing in Rotterdam, and it took the mayor 10 minutes of struggling with the rope before finally landing safely on the ground.

Carola Schouten, Mayor of Rotterdam, descending the observatory by rope with an expert. CGTN YouTube capture

This rope descent is known to be a personal promise that Mayor Schouten made ahead of the local elections held in March. She announced that, if the voter turnout surpassed that of the election four years ago, she would personally descend from the Euromast observatory in Rotterdam. This year's local election in the Netherlands saw a voter turnout of 40.7%, narrowly surpassing the 38.9% recorded in 2022.

Because Mayor Schouten suffers from severe acrophobia, she reportedly made thorough preparations for the challenge, including joint training with the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.

After completing the rope descent, Mayor Schouten said, "The first part was the hardest. I have acrophobia, so just going up to the observatory was nerve-wracking," adding, "The advice to keep looking straight ahead and not down helped me the most."

She went on to emphasize, "It was a fun experience, but the message behind it is very serious," explaining that she took on this challenge to highlight the importance of elections and democracy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.