Election anxiety curbs Olympic enthusiasm among Parisians ahead of Paris 24
Just three weeks before the Olympics, the excitement that was building up in the host city is now mingled with anxiety about France's political future.
The far-right National Rally's strong results in the first round of a rushed election has darkened the ambience for many in Paris, a left-wing stronghold that is one of the few places in France where the party failed to break through.
Just imagining the far-right leading the country gives me panic attacks, 54-year-old Fabienne Martin said after finishing lunch with her son on the upscale Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honor. I was excited when the Olympic flame arrived in Marseille, but this election has completely killed the mood.
Though the outcome is uncertain, the second round of the legislative elections on July 7 could mark a significant shift in France's political landscape, with Marine Le Pen's National Rally poised to potentially gain power.
In Paris, where the National Rally received only 10% of the votes in the first round Sunday