In the wake of the devastating fire at a bar in Crans-Montana, many Swiss citizens are asking themselves whether their political system is fit for purpose. Switzerland, often praised for its efficiency, has a very devolved system of government, in which villages and towns are run by local officials elected from and by the community.
It is a system the Swiss cherish because they believe it ensures accountability. But there are inherent weaknesses: hypothetically, the official approving a bar licence or passing a fire-safety check is the friend, neighbour, or maybe even cousin of the bar owner.
When the news of the ski resort fire emerged on New Year's Eve, first there was shock. Such devastating fires are not, people thought, supposed to happen in Switzerland. Then there was grief - 40 young people lost their lives, 116 were injured, many of them very seriously. Questions followed - what caused such a catastrophe?
And finally, this week - fury, when Crans-Montana's Mayor Nicolas Feraud revealed that Le Constellation bar had not been inspected since 2019. Crans-Montana sits in the Swiss canton of Valais, where fire-safety inspections are the responsibility of Feraud and his colleagues, and are supposed to happen every 12 months.
Not only had the checks not taken place, the mayor said, he had only become aware of this after the fire. And, he revealed, of 128 bars and restaurants in Crans-Montana, only 40 had been inspected in 2025.
Mayor Feraud faced pointed questions from Swiss journalists: how well did he know the bar's owners? Had he ever been to the bar? Was there any possibility of corruption? Absolutely not, was his indignant answer to the last question. The tragic loss has sparked a call for accountability and a re-evaluation of responsibility in local governance.
As investigations continue, families affected by the tragedy demand complete transparency and significant changes to fire inspection protocols, pressing for urgent reforms in Switzerland’s local government to prevent such incidents from happening again.
It is a system the Swiss cherish because they believe it ensures accountability. But there are inherent weaknesses: hypothetically, the official approving a bar licence or passing a fire-safety check is the friend, neighbour, or maybe even cousin of the bar owner.
When the news of the ski resort fire emerged on New Year's Eve, first there was shock. Such devastating fires are not, people thought, supposed to happen in Switzerland. Then there was grief - 40 young people lost their lives, 116 were injured, many of them very seriously. Questions followed - what caused such a catastrophe?
And finally, this week - fury, when Crans-Montana's Mayor Nicolas Feraud revealed that Le Constellation bar had not been inspected since 2019. Crans-Montana sits in the Swiss canton of Valais, where fire-safety inspections are the responsibility of Feraud and his colleagues, and are supposed to happen every 12 months.
Not only had the checks not taken place, the mayor said, he had only become aware of this after the fire. And, he revealed, of 128 bars and restaurants in Crans-Montana, only 40 had been inspected in 2025.
Mayor Feraud faced pointed questions from Swiss journalists: how well did he know the bar's owners? Had he ever been to the bar? Was there any possibility of corruption? Absolutely not, was his indignant answer to the last question. The tragic loss has sparked a call for accountability and a re-evaluation of responsibility in local governance.
As investigations continue, families affected by the tragedy demand complete transparency and significant changes to fire inspection protocols, pressing for urgent reforms in Switzerland’s local government to prevent such incidents from happening again.
