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Rabat – One week after his landslide victory in the French presidential election, En March! party founder and leader, Emmanuel Macron, has been inaugurated in a ceremony at the Elysee Palace Sunday.
Capturing a stunning 66 percent of the popular vote in France, Macron secured his place May 7th as the successor to former President Francois Hollande. His definitive win came just one year after the founding of his centrist party.
Scores of extra police provided security for the event, which took place at the President’s official residence. Police cordoned off large segments of traffic near the city centre, as an added precaution.
In his inaugural address, Macron promised that “my mandate will give the French people back the confidence to believe in themselves.” Addressing the deep divisions which marked the contentious campaign, the new president stressed that they “must be overcome.”
He added that “The world and Europe need more than ever France, and a strong France, which speaks out loudly for freedom and solidarity.”
Before donning the necklace associated with being Grand Master of the Legion of Honour, first worn by Napoleon I, Macron stressed that “the power of France is not declining,” adding that the country is, in fact, on the verge of a “great renaissance.”
39 years of age, Emmanuel Macron is the youngest president France has known since Napoleon. Somewhat echoing the “sunny ways” campaign philosophy of Canadian Prime Minister, Justine Trudeau, Macron won over the hearts of voters with a positive view of France’s future which, for him, includes all French citizens.
Indeed, the new president’s first official week in office is going to be a busy one, with meetings in Berlin with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday. The day is also expected to see the appointment of the country’s new Prime Minister.
President Macron faces tough challenges in his tenure including unemployment, which plagued the country’s youth under Hollande. As for the economy, Macron has promised to vigorously court new investment to help stimulate France’s sluggish growth. Meanwhile, the spectre of terror still looms, with France remaining in an official state of alert since 2015.
