PARIS: France has been mired in political turmoil for three weeks before the Olympics, making it hard to know who will be in key government jobs when the games open on July 26.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal highlighted the uncertainty when he offered his resignation on Sunday night after snap elections resulted in a suspended parliament.
“Our country is facing an unprecedented political situation and is preparing to host the world in a few weeks,” Attal said, offering to remain in his position “as long as it takes”.
Whether his resignation is accepted will depend on President Emmanuel Macron, who has yet to publicly respond to the results, which saw his centrist bloc shrink by nearly 100 MPs.
It is unclear whether the head of state will seek to preserve the interim government, but the left-wing alliance that won Sunday’s vote – without a majority – is already pushing for a candidate to replace Attal.
The fate of Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who oversaw all security preparations for the games, also hangs in the balance.
“What the organizers are most worried about are things like delinquency and crime and of course terrorism and also traffic conditions,” Paul Dietschy, professor of history and sport at the Universite de Franche-Comte in France, told AFP.
“The most important thing is the interior minister.”
Darmanin said last week that if the far-right National Assembly or the hard-right France Unbowed party formed a government, he would resign immediately.
“The Olympics were very well prepared. Everyone knows it and everyone welcomes it,” he told AFP.
The local organizing committee and the International Olympic Committee were both blindsided by Macron’s campaign gamble so close to the start of the July 26 and August 11 games – as were most government ministers and voters.
The prospect of a far-right takeover was seen by many observers as a risk that would undermine France’s image – and the themes of diversity and openness highlighted by Paris 2024.
Chief organizer Tony Estanguet “must be very happy since last night,” said David Roizen, an Olympics specialist at the left-leaning Jean-Jaures Foundation think tank in Paris.
The Paris 2024 figures also sought to emphasize that senior civil servants responsible for crucial games-related issues such as security and transport would remain in place even if the faces of the cabinet change.
The Games can rely on the “continuity of the state”, organizers told AFP in a statement, adding that they had worked “day and night to be ready” in the previous weeks.
In France, the election has completely overshadowed the growth of the sporting extravaganza, but the media and most people are paying more attention to political maneuvering than to the new sports facilities nearing completion around the capital.
“If Macron hadn’t dissolved parliament, there would have been a little more enthusiasm for the games,” Dietschy said. “You don’t really feel the excitement building. Most of the French were focused on the election.”
France has spent the past seven years and at least 2.4 billion euros ($2.6 billion) in public money preparing for the Games, which organizers promise will be “iconic”.
Little new permanent infrastructure has been built, with much of the sport taking place in temporary stadiums in tourist hotspots around the City of Light or in refurbished facilities.
This has helped keep costs low as well as the carbon footprint of the event, which promises to be half as polluting as previous editions in London and Rio de Janeiro.
Observers say the Olympic movement is banking on a memorable success in Paris to help revive interest after a delayed edition in Covid-stricken Tokyo in 2021, when athletes competed in near-empty stadiums.
David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, told AFP that problems off the field often overshadowed the Olympics in the build-up.
“For the next couple of weeks, the election and politics might be a big topic, but once the competition starts, those kinds of stories kind of fade away,” he said.
“I’m interested in the election and everyone else in France, but it’s secondary to most people around the world.”
