In the wake of the devastating fire at a bar in Crans-Montana, many Swiss citizens are asking themselves if 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 license or passing a fire-safety check is the friend, neighbour, or maybe even cousin of the bar owner.
When the news of the 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?
Finally, this week - fury when Crans-Montana's Mayor, Nicolas Feraud, revealed that Le Constellation bar had not been inspected since 2019.
Crans-Montana is in the Swiss canton of Valais, where fire-safety inspections are the responsibility of Mayor Feraud and his colleagues, and they 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.
Elected officials in towns like Crans-Montana have many responsibilities as well as fire safety - running schools and social services, even collecting taxes.
Most of these officials work part-time and, once elected, continue with their day jobs.
The headlines after his press conference were savage. Many demanded Mayor Feraud and his colleagues resign. Feraud ruled this out, saying, we were elected by the people. You don't abandon ship in the middle of a storm.
A deeper, nationwide soul-searching is underway, as the Swiss want to know why their beloved devolved system went catastrophically wrong.
Switzerland's government says finding answers is a moral responsibility - to the families above all, but also to its own voters.
