The end of Olympic escapism for gloomy France

PARIS, France — The end of the widely hailed Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this weekend will be greeted with pride and relief, as well as trepidation in a country in the throes of a deep political crisis.

After months of gloom and self-doubt in the run-up to the start of the Olympics on July 26, Paris and the country at large threw themselves into the spirit of the Games, embracing new national sporting heroes along the way.

The closing ceremony for the Paralympics on Sunday, when the Olympic flame will be extinguished for a final time, will mark the end of six weeks of thrilling sport and almost flawless organisation that produced a sense of escapism from the country's divisions and woes.

"The idea is to finish with a huge party that will prevent the tears of those who might be saying to themselves 'damn it, it's all finished'," chief organiser Tony Estanguet said ahead of a ceremony that will see the national stadium turn into a giant nightclub.

"We're going to have a party and then on Monday maybe we'll be disappointed because it really will be all over," he added.

More than 20 top French DJs from "French touch" legend Cassius to Martin Solveig are set to close out the Games, with a line-up overseen by 76-year-old French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre.

"I think that we will all feel a sense of joy, pride, the impression that something is ending that has enabled us feel good together and to show to the world how we can enjoy ourselves," Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo told reporters on Friday.

"I will fight against the idea that we have to move on from this enchanted period to resume our lives and our sad passions," she added.

She was referring to the morose national mood before the Olympics, made worse by snap parliamentary elections called by President Emmanuel Macron that produced a hung parliament in June.

After more than 50 days without a permanent government, including the entire Olympics period, Macron named a new prime minister on Thursday, 73-year-old former minister and top EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

Analysts say the country is set for a period of severe instability, with Barnier's grip on power seen as fragile and dependent on