PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron hoped the Paris Olympics would cement his legacy. But a failed bet on a snap legislative election has left him politically stunted, casting a lingering shadow over Macron's moment on the international stage.

As he prepares to welcome more than 100 heads of state and tens of thousands of spectators for Friday's opening ceremony along the Seine, Macron is a fragile force - an unpopular president presiding over a caretaker government as it hosts the world's largest sporting event amid heightened security fears.

"Macron expected to welcome the Games like an emperor," said French historian Patrick Weil. "But now he's a lame duck."

Walking around the Olympic Village on Monday, Macron defended his decision to dissolve parliament and denied the ensuing political instability would overshadow the Games.

"It was me who decided," he said, referring to his determination to call the election ahead of the Games.

"There is no bitter taste. On the contrary, we did the things that needed to be done before (the Olympics). Now we can fully focus on the Games."

And in a bid to keep the crisis at bay for a few weeks, he appeared to suggest he was unlikely to name a prime minister until the Games were over.

"There is a sort of truce," he said.

THE SHOW GOES ON

Macron called the legislative vote after a thumping by the far-right National Rally (RN) in last month's EU election, saying he wanted the poll to provide clarity.

Instead, French voters delivered a hung parliament and no bloc has so far been able to form a government, leaving Macron's previous cabinet to manage day-to-day affairs in a caretaker capacity.

"The Olympics are a great break, an extraordinary moment, a brilliant showcase for our country," said far-right lawmaker Julien Odoul. "But the difficulties of our compatriots continue despite the Olympic Games. And this National Assembly is currently not in a position to provide a response."

Macron aides, Olympics officials, lawmakers and public figures stressed to Reuters that the show would go on, with years of security and logistics planning unaffected by the politics. But some acknowledged the fallout from the political crisis would hang over the Games.

Socialist lawmaker Christine Pires-Beaune said Macron's expedited vote had left many French bewildered and angry.

"We have never been in such a thick...