Scaled-back Bastille Day edges France toward Games

France celebrated its national holiday, Bastille Day, on Sunday with a traditional military parade, just 12 days before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris.

President Emmanuel Macron opened the festivities, which this year took on added significance, sandwiched between recent political realignment following a snap election and the anticipation of the upcoming Olympics.

Every July 14, France commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, a pivotal moment in the French Revolution.

The parade celebrates past military victories and honors World War II liberation, and this time Paris also welcomed the Olympic flame to the city.

The celebration concluded with the flame’s entrance, escorted by horseback riders, 25 torchbearers, and young cadets dressed in the five Olympic colors, arranging themselves to form the famous five-ring emblem.

Colonel Thibault Vallette, a gold medalist in equestrian at the 2016 Rio Olympics, led the torch relay, passing the flame to a team of young athletes.

But this year’s parade did not feature a foreign guest like last year’s visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Festivities were scaled down due to the Olympic preparations, which blocked the traditional Champs Elysees parade route.

Heightened Olympic security led to a streamlined parade, featuring just 4,000 participants, down from last year’s 6,500, and 162 horses in a meticulously choreographed display.

Tanks and armored vehicles were absent, but the skies came alive with an impressive formation of more than 60 aircraft, including British Typhoons soaring overhead alongside French Mirages and Rafales.

As Paris prepares for the upcoming July 26 to Aug 11 Games, France, the EU’s second-largest economy, a nuclear-armed G7 member, and a permanent UN Security Council member, finds itself in political flux, raising concerns among markets and allies alike, according to AFP.

Macron’s decision to call an unexpected election aimed to clarify France’s political course following the far-right’s surprising victory in European Union polls.

But the vote resulted in a hung Parliament, leaving the country without a clear governing majority, with Macron’s party weakened.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal could leave office within days, reported the Associated Press, and the left-wing coalition that won the most seats, has been unable to agree on a replacement for him. Parliament remains divided into three groups, with no clear majority in sight.

After gracing the Bastille Day celebrations, the Olympic torch embarked on a tour of Parisian icons, such as Notre Dame Cathedral, and Louvre Museum.

jonathan@mail.chinadailyuk.com