Emmanuel Macron, was officially sworn in as the youngest president of the French Republic on Sunday at the age of 39. In his speech to herald his inauguration, he enjoined the French to embrace the future, hold him to high standard and to join him in the hard work ahead.
“I reassure you that not for a single second did I think that everything changed as if by magic on May 7,” Mr. Macron said of the day he was elected. “This will be slow work, demanding, but indispensable. It will be up to me to convince the French that our country, which seems threatened by the sometimes contrary winds of the world, carries in its heart all the resources to be a nation of the first rank.”
During his inaugural address on Sunday, President Macron pledged to restore the confidence of the French people in their country's future.
"The division and fractures in our society must be overcome," said the centrist politician.
"The world and Europe need more than ever France, and a strong France, which speaks out loudly for freedom and solidarity," he declared.
He said he would convince the people that "the power of France is not declining - that we are on the brink of a great renaissance".
Speaking later during a visit to the capital's town hall, President Macron praised the way Parisians had responded to terror attacks. He said that rather than hide behind barricades, many had opened their doors and offered help "because the face of Paris is the face of France, that of a living fraternity".
He also promised to strongly support the city's bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games.
He was presented with a chain of office once worn by Napoleon I, as a symbol of his position as Grand Master of the Legion of Honour (a title usually given to the leader of France).
At 39, Mr Macron is France's youngest leader since Napoleon and the first to be born after 1958, when the current presidential system was set up.
His En Marche political movement was formed just last year and as a new party - La République En Marche - will be fielding candidates across France in June's parliamentary elections.
He has promised to "work for everyone" and sees his programme as straddling all sides of the political divide.
Mr Macron's first week in office will be busy. He heads for Berlin on Monday to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel and to demonstrate his commitment to the European Union.
He is also expected to name a prime minister on Monday morning.
Mr Macron faces major challenges including high unemployment, especially among the youth, and low growth.
He says his main aims are to boost investment and to set up a "new growth model" that increases social mobility and helps the environment.
Mr. Macron was declared French President a week after his resounding victory against his far-right opponent, Marine Le Pen, with 66%. Le Pen was seen as representing a radical and even fascist departure from France’s traditions.
