France's political ceasefire declared during the Olympic Games has ended and President Emmanuel Macron is now faced with the pressing task of appointing a prime minister and forming a government.
In the run-up to the Games, snap elections called by Macron plunged the country into an execpected political crisis.
Macron, who is yet to appoint a new prime minister, said on Monday that the Olympics had shown the world "the true face of France".
He added: "We don't want life to get back to normal."
It was a sentiment echoed in the media. Le Monde said the Games had "offered the capital and the entire country more than two weeks of fervour and happiness".
In The Times, sportswriter Owen Slot wrote that for 17 days "the stereotype of the indifferent, grumpy Frenchman went missing".
Paris, he added, had made the Olympic Games "look more beautiful than ever before".
Paris Olympic fortnight sets high standard for future Games
Punitive measures
After two weeks of bread and games, the pressure is on Macron to act rapidly.
The first major deadline is deciding the 2025 budget. In normal times, a major outline is usually ready by mid-August to be submitted to parliament for review on 1 October.
This year marks an exception.
Outgoing economy minister Bruno Le Maire did submit his recommendations (including significant credit reductions) to the prime minister's office. But in absence of a PM, ministries are in the dark as to the credit allocations they can expect in the coming year.
The French constitution provides mechanisms to avoid the local equivalent of a government shutdown, but the scope for manoeuvre is limited, especially since no party gained an absolute majority, creating the need for a coalition of sorts.
To add insult to injury, the EU is likely to launch punitive measures against France because it exceeded Brussels' deficit targets.
EU member states are not permitted to have a deficit of more than 3 percent of their GDP; France registered a massive 5.5 percent over 2023.
Busy schedule
The president's agenda leaves little wiggling space.
This week he'll attend two commemorative ceremonies marking 80 years since the end of World War II. On 15 August Macron will be in Saint-Raphaël for the allied landing in Provence – a ceremony that will be attended by African heads of state.
Two days later, he will head to Bormes-les-Mimosas for a ceremony marking the liberation of Fort de Brégançon.
Next week, on the eve of the Paralympic Games that start on 28 August, candidacy announcements and potential agreements on key legislative texts between political parties could accelerate the process.
NFP pressure
Meanwhile, the left-wing New Popular Front is turning up the heat, with PM candidate Lucie Castets sending a letter to several lawmakers with proposals, including raising the minimum wage and repealing pension reforms.
But Macron has already dismissed the possibility of selecting an NFP prime minister, pointing out that this group does not have a parliamentary majority.
Macron dismisses left-wing demand for new PM, urges post-Olympics unity
With time running short and options limited, Macron has remained vague, setting "mid-August" as the deadline to build a "solid majority" among national forces – his own party in combination with centre-right elements of the Republicans Party and possibly moderate Socialists.
(with newswires)
