A devastating fire in a bar in Crans-Montana has many Swiss citizens asking themselves whether their political system is fit for purpose.
Often praised for its efficiency, Switzerland has a highly devolved system of government, with towns and villages run by local officials elected by the local community.
This is a system that the Swiss cherish. Because we believe it ensures accountability.
But there are also inherent weaknesses. Hypothetically, the official who approves a bar license or passes a fire safety inspection could be a friend, neighbor or even cousin of the bar owner.
When news of the fire broke out around the New Year, the first thing that struck me was shock. People thought such a devastating fire should not happen in Switzerland.
Then there was sadness. Forty young people lost their lives and 116 were injured, many of them very seriously. Questions followed. What caused such a catastrophe?
And finally, there was outrage this week when Crans-Montana mayor Nicolas Feraud revealed that the Le Constellation bar had not been inspected since 2019.
Crans-Montana is located in the Swiss canton of Valais, and its fire safety inspections are the responsibility of Mayor Feraud and his colleagues and are scheduled to be carried out every 12 months.
The mayor said not only were there no inspections, but he only found out about it after the fire broke out. And he revealed that out of 128 bars and restaurants in Crans-Montana, only 40 were inspected in 2025.
When asked why, Feraud had no answer, but suggested that Crans-Montana has too few inspectors for the number of properties that need checking.
Romy Biner, mayor of the nearby luxury resort of Zermatt, echoed the sentiment. He told local media that many communities in the Valais do not have the resources needed to inspect so many buildings. This is not a line that sits well with many Swiss, who know that Crans-Montana and Zermatt are two of the wealthiest winter resorts in the country.
So when Feraud met the press, Swiss journalists asked him pointed questions: How well did the mayor know the bar owner? Has he ever been to a bar? And was there any possibility of corruption?
To the last question, he responded indignantly, “Absolutely not.”
The mother of the two brothers who survived the fire also had questions. “Full and transparent answers are urgently needed,” she wrote on social media.
When they escaped the burning bar, her sons initially thought each other was dead.
“They escaped, but they are deeply traumatized. They will carry the emotional scars with them forever.”
These questions from journalists and families reveal problems with Switzerland’s devolved political system.
In cities like Crans-Montana, elected officials have many responsibilities, including fire safety, running schools and social services, and even collecting taxes.
Most of these public servants work part-time and continue their day jobs once elected.
Some communities today are overly challenged in their efforts to provide and oversee all the services a 21st century population expects, but Swiss voters expect better than what they heard from Mayor Feraud.
The headlines after his press conference were brutal. Many people called for the resignation of Mayor Feraud and his colleagues. Feraud ruled this out, saying “We were elected by the people. We do not abandon ship in a storm.”
“An overall failure,” wrote Widesheet Tagesanzeiger. “Now Switzerland’s reputation is at stake.”
The tabloid Blick wrote: “It was an unmitigated disaster.” “The fire safety inspection was a total failure.”
Reputation damage is something the Swiss hate and fear. Switzerland is a wealthy country. One of the reasons is its reputation for safety, stability, reliability, and responsibility among its citizens.
Switzerland cannot forgive when those responsible tarnish its reputation and put the country’s success at risk.
Heads rolled 20 years ago when Swissair, the much-loved national airline, went bankrupt.
Once affectionately known as the “flying bank,” Swissair’s management made a series of risky financial investments that dangerously overextended the airline.
In 2008, the banking giant UBS, whose shares were held by many Swiss, especially pensioners, had to be bailed out by Swiss taxpayers to prevent not only its own collapse but disastrous consequences for the global economy.
There was outrage when it was revealed that the bank was overexposed to subprime mortgages. At the bank’s annual general meeting that year, the generally subdued older shareholders hissed and booed.
One even jumped on stage to demand executives give up their generous bonuses, ironically waving a string of Swiss sausages under their noses “in case they got hungry.”
Crans-Montana, too, sparked angry feelings about betrayed trust. But this is much worse than Swissair or UBS. Forty people died, many of them teenagers. Dozens more suffered life-changing injuries.
Swiss authorities know they need answers quickly.
At Friday’s memorial service, a tearful Valais President Matthias Reynar promised a “rigorous and independent” investigation and warned that “the relevant political authorities” would be held accountable.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin said: “I look forward to justice being served without delay and with generosity.”
Currently, the bar owner has been arrested and is being investigated, but it is certain that the role of the local government will also be reviewed. There are already calls for fire safety inspections in the Valais canton to be taken away from local councils and handed over to state authorities.
Romain Jourdan, a lawyer representing some of the families, announced plans to file a lawsuit against the Crans-Montana City Council. The bereaved families said, “We are demanding that all local officials be investigated to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again.”
Deeper, national soul-searching is also underway. The Swiss want to know why their beloved delegation system, which many believed was probably close to perfect, went so disastrously wrong.
In the first hours after the fire, many people were shocked, saddened but also felt quiet pride in the fact that emergency services responded so quickly.
Firefighters, ambulance crews and even a helicopter arrived on the scene within minutes. Emergency services attended the memorial service. Many people cried openly.
The shock and sadness still runs deep, but the pride has evaporated.
What good is a top-notch, highly professional emergency service if the Swiss ignore basic fire safety checks?
The Swiss government said finding answers was a moral responsibility, first and foremost for families, but also for voters.
