A political spanner thrown in the Paris 2024 works

PARIS France was plunged into political turmoil on July 8, three weeks before hosting the Olympics, while a call for strikes at Paris airports added fresh uncertainty to the already tense build-up.

The run-up to the world's biggest sporting event is usually fraught for hosts, but French President Emmanuel Macron added unexpected complexity in June by calling snap parliamentary elections.

A second round of voting for the National Assembly on July 7 delivered a hung parliament, making it hard to know who will be in key government positions when the Games open on July 26.

"Our country is facing an unprecedented political situation and is getting ready to host the world in a few weeks," Prime Minister Gabriel Attal stressed on July 7 evening, as he offered his resignation.

Macron has asked the ambitious 35-year-old to remain at his post "for the time being to ensure the stability of the country", a statement from the presidency said.

It is unclear whether the head of state will seek to keep a caretaker government in place until the Paris Games close on Aug 11, but a leftwing alliance that topped the vote is already pushing to name a candidate to replace Attal.