France voted to keep the far-right at bay, at least for now. However, that does not mean the politicians currently in power will get to maintain their seats for long. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal was the first one to make the need for a leadership change evident, as he resigned the same day that president Emanuel Macron saw his central party take another significant hit, avoiding a Rassemblement National overtake but still falling to second place behind the New Popular Front (NFP) of socialists, communists, ecologists and the more pronounced Ligue Française Indépendante (LFI).

The unpredictable political map left behind by the second and definitive round of the election process foresees a very divided National Assembly with no clear majorities and an extremely uncertain phase ahead for France’s governability. Stability is fragile as challenges mount and the Paris 2024 Games near with still a long list of pending issues  for a country with no long-standing tradition of coalitions or alliances, now in the hands of transitionary administrators.

In an assembly of 577 deputies, the absolute majority is 289, a figure that can only be achieved through pacts that now seem unlikely given the conservative’s longstanding veto on the LFI, which will have more than 80 deputies. Hence, Attal’s tape-delayed departure from office after the Olympics as was agreed to on Monday, when the president first refused his immediate resignation.

Another high-profile official who might be on the move is Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who has been charged with overseeing all security preparations regarding the Games, still facing considerable threats on various fronts. "What organisers worry about the most are things like delinquency and crime, and of course terrorism, as well as traffic conditions," Paul Dietschy, a history and sports professor at the Université of Franche-Comte in France, told AFP on Monday. "The interior minister is the most important position."

France and most of Europe woke up to widespread relief after the election results came in, but the week started with unsettling news of unions warning that they might go on strike just days before the Games due to a dispute over bonuses. Police, air traffic controllers, rubbish collectors, central government employees, metro and train drivers as well as firefighters have all made demands for extra pay during the summer period, with their employers under pressure to yield in order to avoid further disruption. And French workers are indeed well-trained when it comes to staging countrywide strikes when it most counts.

Given the current state of political affairs, Attal offered to remain prime minister "as long as duty demands" and now organisers are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping for a peaceful outcome of the Games that, at the very worst, keeps things as they are and does not light another flame under the ultra-right’s burning fire.

As tension and uncertainty grew with the elections creeping in, some popular athletes and French celebrities took it upon themselves to raise awareness over the possible changes that a LePen-led government could enforce in case it took power. "This is a crucial moment in the history of our country, an unprecedented situation," said star footballer Kylian Mbappé before the national team was set to play the European Championships quarter-finals. "I think more than ever we need to go out and vote. We can't leave our country in the hands of these people."

Just last week, Darmanin promised that he would also resign in case of a Rassemblement National win which would undermine the themes of diversity and openness stressed by the Olympic charter, but also reminded all that "the Games have been very well-prepared. Everyone knows it and everyone welcomes it."

Regardless of any upcoming cabinet changes, senior civil servants tasked with crucial Games-related issues like security and transport will remain in place in order to assure "the continuity of the state", officials explained; now more than ever, with 17 days to go until the opening ceremony of Paris 2024.

Social unrest is still a concern, as Le Pen’s and Jordan Bardella’s anti-immigration, racist messages have permeated in a society still scared by past terrorist attacks that have targeted the country and, more specifically, its famed capital city.

Predicated on inclusion and the power to transform the high-profile, quite travelled and tourist-friendly metropolis, the Paris 2024 Games were hoping to englobe not only the most picturesque sites, but also include the outskirts, the ‘banlieue’ that surrounds the ‘ville’ and where the newest generations of immigrant communities, many from old French colonies, have established themselves.

Despite the many concerns and election hangover, the president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, David Wallechinsky, assured AFP that “for the next couple of weeks, the election and politics could be a big issue, but the minute the competition starts, these sorts of stories kind of fade away. The election interests me and everybody else in France, but for most people around the world it’s a sideshow."

The grandiose Seine river ceremony is expected to be one for the ages, no doubt; and there is no question French society will immerse itself into the sporting action once the Games truly kick in. But it’s also been quite a political spectacle in the country in recent weeks, with international ramifications far beyond the local spectrum.

As in sport, the final outcome sometimes hangs in the balance of a single shot, a step beyond the line or a mishandling of the relay baton. In the final countdown to the Games, France struggles to stay upward while left and right political forces pull harder than ever, public servants march on, citizens partake and the world eagerly watches, waiting to exhale.