The mandate of outgoing Socialist president François Hollande officially ends at midnight on Sunday, May 14th, and he is expected to vacate the Élysée earlier that day.

On Monday, May 8th, interior minister Matthias Fekl will officially announce the result of the presidential election. The first results, which came in at 8pm French time (7pm Irish time) on Sunday, are only estimations based on the initial count from several hundred polling stations that closed an hour before.

The handover of power takes place next weekend. The ceremony follows a well-rehearsed form: Emmanuel Macron will go to the Elysée and be received in the courtyard by Hollande. After a brief chat, Hollande will leave the presidential palace accompanied by the Republican Guard.

Macron’s first engagement as president will be to pay tribute at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior at the Arc de Triomphe and visit Paris city hall.

Then the real work begins. Macron is expected to name his prime minister around May 15th. He has said he wants to choose someone for the long term, but the position could be temporary. The president may be forced to replace his first choice with someone from an opposition party if he fails to obtain a parliamentary majority in next month’s election.

Macron has promised to field candidates – half of them women and half from civil society or local councils – in all 577 parliamentary constituencies, but he is starting from almost zero. He will also have to juggle his pledge to completely overhaul and renew French political life with the need to sign up some experienced political heavyweights to his government.

Before the vote Macron said he had decided on his prime minister, but refused to give a name. He will have a reduced government made up of what he described as a “commando” of 15 ministers – there are 18 at present – one-third of whom will have come from outside the current political elite, though a glance at their CVs shows many have passed through the École Nationale d’Administration .

“I want experienced people in the government, but those who come from civil society, who have legitimacy through the skills and what they have done and not necessarily from politics; there will be political personalities too,” Macron told BFMTV last week.

Of those to be recruited to his government, Macron said: “I will choose them for their experience, their competence, what they have done and not for what they represent or their political weight ...

“They will be people who are important mayors, regional or general council presidents; people who have sometimes been ministers, but who do things and who will be able to run an administration and conduct a public policy.”

Several names have been touted for prime minister, including the popular Socialist defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian , one of the first to rally to Macron’s presidential campaign, and Pascal Lamy, former director general of the World Trade Organisation.

Macron has admitted he is hesitating over whether to appoint a female prime minister. If he does two favourites are Sylvie Goulard, an MEP from the centre Democratic Movement (MoDem), the leader of which, François Bayrou formed a surprise alliance with Macron, and Anne-Marie Idrac, a former secretary of state for transport.

Alternatively, Goulard, the former head of public transport companies RATP and SNCF, could also be given the economy ministry, Macron’s former government post. Alain Juppé, the one-time Les Républicains presidential hopeful and mayor of Bordeaux, is also reportedly being considered for the ministry.

For other ministries he is expected to fish from the Socialist and centre-right Les Républicains pools, luring experienced and respected politicians such as the former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s labour minister Xavier Bertrand from the right and the Lyon mayor Gérard Collomb from the left.

The veteran centrist Francois Bayrou, who abandoned his fourth presidential attempt to throw his weight behind Macron, will almost certainly be rewarded with a government post.

Christine Lagarde, the current IMF managing director, has also been mentioned.

By recruiting from the left, right and centre, Macron will be hoping to create a dynamism behind his En Marche!! movement with a view to winning the crucial majority he needs in legislative elections to push through his reforms. </s> Outgoing Socialist president François Hollande’s mandate officially ends at midnight on Sunday 14 May and he is expected to vacate the Elysée earlier that day.

On Monday 8 May, the interior minister Matthias Fekl will officially announce the result of the presidential election. The first results, which come at 8pm local time on Sunday evening, are only estimations based on the initial count from several hundred polling stations that closed an hour before.

The handover of power takes place next weekend. The ceremony follows a well-rehearsed form: Macron will go to the Elysée and be received in the courtyard by Hollande. After a brief chat, Hollande will leave the presidential palace accompanied by the Republican Guard.

Macron’s first engagement as president will be to pay tribute at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior at the Arc de Triomphe and to visit Paris City Hall.

Then the real work begins. Macron is expected to name a new prime minister around 15 May. He has said he wants to choose someone for the “long term”, but the position could be temporary. The new president may be forced to replace his first choice with someone from an opposition party if he fails to obtain a parliamentary majority in next month’s general election. 



Macron has promised to field candidates – half of them women and half from civil society or local councils – in all 577 parliamentary constituencies, but he is starting from almost zero. He will also have to juggle his pledge to completely overhaul and renew French political life with the need to sign up some experienced political heavyweights to his government.



Before the vote, Macron said he had decided on his prime minister, but refused to give a name. He will have a reduced government made up of what he described as a “commando” of 15 ministers – there are 18 at present – a third of whom will have come from outside the current political elite, though a glance at their CVs shows many have passed through the administrative hothouse, the École Nationale d’Administration.



“I want experienced people in the government but those who come from civil society, who have legitimacy through the skills and what they have done and not necessarily from politics, but there will be political personalities too,” Macron told BFMTV last week.



Of the political heavyweights recruited to Macron’s government, he said: “I will choose them for their experience, their competence, what they have done and not for what they represent or their political weight... they will be people who are important mayors, regional or general council presidents; people who have sometimes been ministers but who do things and who will be able to run an administration and conduct a public policy.”



Several names have been touted as Macron’s prime minister, including the popular Socialist defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, one of the first to rally to Macron’s presidential campaign, and Pascal Lamy, former director-general of the World Trade Organisation.



Macron has admitted he is hesitating over whether to appoint a female PM. If he does, two favourites are Sylvie Goulard, a Euro MP from the centre MoDem party whose leader François Bayrou was formed a surprise alliance with Macron, and Anne-Marie Idrac, a former secretary of state for transport.

Alternatively, Goulard, the former head of the public transport companies RATP and SNCF, could also be given the economy ministry, Macron’s former government post. Alain Juppé, the one-time Les Républicains presidential hopeful and mayor of Bordeaux, is also reportedly being considered for the ministry.

For other ministries, he is expected to fish from the Socialist and centre-right Les Républicains pools, luring experienced and respected politicians such as former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s former labour minister Xavier Bertrand from the right; and Lyon mayor and senator Gérard Collomb from the left.

Bayrou, the veteran centrist, who abandoned his fourth presidential bid to throw his weight behind Macron, will almost certainly be rewarded with a government post. 



The name of Christine Lagarde, the current IMF chief, has also been mentioned.

By recruiting from the left, right and centre, Macron will be hoping to create a dynamic behind his En Marche! movement with a view to winning the crucial majority he needs in the legislative elections to push through his reforms. </s> France has a new president named Emmanuel Macron! The country erupted in celebration after the he was announced as the projected winner over extreme right-wing opponent Marine Le Pen in videos and tweets that you have to see!

Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron, 39, has become the youngest and newest president of France and the country is in the midst of a major celebration on Sunday, May 7. He beat out Marine Le Pen, 48, in an election that was watched around the world. Emmanuel took 65.5% of the vote and the extremist right-wing politician won over 34.5%. The crowds gathered and absolutely erupted when Emmanuel was revealed as the next president as they ferociously waved their French flags.

Emmanuel Macron: See Photos Of France’s New President

This election came two weeks after the initial election on April 23. Emmanuel was pegged as the favorite to win in the round after he won 8,5000 votes (24%) by the first round on Apr. 23. He surprisingly has never held political office before he served was a part of President Francis Hollande‘s staff as deputy secretary-general of the Élysée. Marine took only 7,6000 votes (21.30%) in the round one. She was considered a controversial candidate because of her anti-immigration policies. Marine also discussed the possibility of France leaving the European Union, which could have led to the end of the organization. People also worried that she be anti-Semitic policies similar to her extremist right-wing policies like her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, 88.

President Donald Trump, 70, congratulated Emmanuel on his victory. “Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on his big win today as the next President of France. I look very much forward to working with him!” he wrote. Hillary Clinton, 69, also shared her thoughts on the news and said, “Victory for Macron, for France, the EU, & the world. Defeat to those interfering w/democracy. (But the media says I can’t talk about that).” People were super excited and took to Twitter to share the news. “MACRON WINS!!! *exhales*” one user wrote. “Congratulations France! A truly great nation faces the world confidently and doesn’t hide behind walls,” another tweet read. One thrilled French citizen shared a powerful video of the cheering crowds and wrote, “France has rejected hatred and chosen love instead. Vive la France, Macron.”

HollywoodLifers, were you surprised by the election results? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below! </s> PARIS — Emmanuel Macron was sworn in as French president on Sunday and gave a moving first speech to begin healing his fractured country.

Macron has shaken up French politics with his meteoric rise to the presidency, winning his campaign as an independent, with the backing of a fledgling political party he founded less than a year ago.

At 39, he becomes the youngest president in France’s history, and the youngest leader since Napoleon.

The new President vowed to bring confidence back to a nation that has been “broken” by a spate of terror attacks and a sluggish economy.

He said he hoped to restore French values and applauded voters for resisting the wave of populism in choosing him over his rival, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, in his landslide victory a week ago.

“The world and Europe needs France more than ever. They need a strong France that is sure of its destiny. A France that upholds freedom and solidarity,” he said.

“I am convinced that the power of France is not in decline, as we are at the dawn of an extraordinary rebirth.”

He listed a range of challenges facing the country, from migration fluxes, to the “excesses” of global capitalism and terrorism.

“Nothing will affect only a part of the population. We are united, we are all neighbors.”

Macron has promised to breathe new life into French politics, and in his speech Sunday, he laid out a vision of a vibrant economy boosted by innovation and technology, and an openness to the world.

But to some skeptical onlookers, Macron is still something of an unknown quantity. He has little experience in governance, serving as economy minister for two years as his most senior role.

Just a week since his win, Macron has inherited an extraordinary to-do list and some demanding deadlines.

He is expected to name his prime minister on Monday and a full Cabinet by Wednesday. Macron has said he is looking at one male and one female candidate for prime minister, but gave little clue as to who they might be.

He will also now be looking to the June legislative elections. His centrist La Republique En Marche! party, which has never held a single seat in parliament, will need a strong parliamentary presence to push Macron’s legislative agenda through.

The party is scrambling to get 577 candidates together to contest every seat in the country ahead of vote, on June 11 and 18.

It named 428 candidates on Thursday, half of them women and more than half from outside the political establishment, fulfilling a party pledge made in January. Of the established politicians, the party has attracted candidates from both the left and right, causing panic among traditional parties facing mass defections.

Macron won the May 7 election with a resounding 66% of the vote, but his mandate may not be as strong as those numbers suggest. Many in France made it clear that they were casting their votes against Le Pen, rather than for Macron.

Macron’s inauguration ceremony was steeped in French ritual and tradition.

He arrived at the Elysee Palace Sunday morning and walked down a long red carpet, where he was greeted by outgoing President Francois Hollande.

The two men shook hands between the French and European Union (EU) flags, a reminder of France’s prominent role in the 28-member bloc and Macron’s commitment to the EU.

In accordance with tradition, Macron escorted Hollande to his car. Hollande was driven away in a modest Citroen hatchback, leaving behind the leadership of a country battered by several deadly terror attacks and an economy that failed to pick up under his watch.

Hollande decided not to run for a second term. His popularity, and that of his Socialist Party, plunged after the Paris attacks in November 2015, in which 130 people were killed.

Hollande sent a flurry of emotional tweets as he left the palace, defending his leadership in a time of national hardship.

“I ensured that our country stood firm in these circumstances. I am proud to have succeeded,” he wrote.

He pointed out that under his presidency France helped keep Greece in the eurozone as its economy was on the brink of defaulting. He also pointed out that it was France, under his leadership, that got the world to sign onto a new climate change agreement.

“We have this satisfaction. I left the country in a better state than I found it in.”

Around 300 people were invited to the inauguration, and among his guests are trade union representatives, Nobel prize winners and 100 friends.

Twenty-one cannons were fired to salute Macron as the new president, as his motorcade left the palace in a downpour of rain. Following the inauguration, Macron laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in remembrance of World War I.

Macron was joined by his wife, Brigitte Trogneux, on Sunday, a woman who the new President has portrayed as a mentor. He has said he will likely give his wife an official role in his government.

The wives of French presidents have not typically taken on first lady duties as many do in countries such as the United States.

The couple were dressed by celebrated French designers. Trogneux wore a blue-lavender dress with a double-breasted jacket, designed for the occasion by Nicolas Ghesquiere from Louis Vuitton. Macron wore a dark blue suit from Jonas et Cie Price.

Macron, a former investment banker, has come under fire for living what some see as an extravagant life. His team made a point of explaining to the media that Trogneux’s dress, as well as her Louis Vuitton bag, were on loan from the world-famous fashion house. It also explained that Macron’s suit was worth 450 euro ($490) — a modest price tag for a momentous occasion. </s> For the next month’s parliamentary elections, French President-elect Emmanuel Macron on Thursday selected a list of 428 candidates including some from civil society and exactly half of all the candidates are women.

Only 24 of those chosen are outgoing MPs from the current parliament, BBC reported.

Some 52 per cent come from civil society and exactly half are women, Richard Ferrand, General Secretary of En Marche, was quoted as saying.

Ferrand said the choices marked “the definitive return of citizens to the heart of our political life”.

Macron still needs to select more than 100 candidates for the 577-seat parliament and the party said its door is open to politicians from other parties to join.

The movement received more than 19,000 applications with 1,700 telephone interviews conducted with candidates.

The average age of the list is 46 “compared to 60 years for the average of outgoing MPs”, Ferrand said.

The youngest candidate is 24-years-old and the oldest is 72. Around 10 candidates are unemployed, double that are retired and a handful are students. </s> French newly elected president Emmanuel Macron stands as he escorts his predecessor at the Elysee presidential Palace at the end of their handover ceremony and prior to the formal inauguration as French President on May 14, 2017 in Paris. Pic/ AFP

Paris: Independent-centrist and former investment banker Emmanuel Macron was sworn in on Sunday as the 25th French President and the youngest in the nation's history.

Laurent Fabius, President of the Constitutional Council, presided the ceremony at the Elysee Palace here, the BBC reported.

"In order to be the man of one's country, one must be the man of your time... By the sovereign choice of the people, you are now, above all ... the man of our country ... President of the Republic," Fabius said while proclaiming Macron, 39, as the President.

Macron's wife Brigitte Trogneux, wearing a powder blue skirt suit, an outfit similar to what US First Lady Melania Trump wore during her husband President Donald Trump's swearing-in in January, entered the Palace ahead of Macron.

The former Economy Minister, who worsted far-Right National Front leader Marine Le Pen in the presidential run-off, opened his term with talk of a new renaissance.

"The world needs what the French have always taught. For decades France has doubted herself."

But the world and Europe need France more than ever now, he said.

"My mandate will give the French back the confidence to believe in themselves."

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".

Macron in his speech, also paid tributes to former Presidents from Charles de Gaulle to Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, reports the BBC.

He said he would count on the people to "deal with deep change".

"From this very evening I will be at work. Long live the Republic and long live France."

Macron becomes the youngest president in France's history and the youngest leader since Napoleon Bonaparte was elected in 1848 at age 40.

Macron arrived at the Elysee Palace earlier and walked down a red carpet. He was greeted by Hollande.

He will be naming a Prime Minister and a full Cabinet by Wednesday. </s> France begins voting in second round of parliamentary election

Voting stations opened in France on Sunday for the second round of parliamentary elections, with opinion polls indicating President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Republic on the Move party likely to win a massive majority in the lower house, Reuters reported.

Turnout could fall to a record low, in a sign of voter fatigue after seven months of roller-coaster campaigning and voting, and of disillusionment with politics that could complicate Macron's reform drive. </s> PARIS (AFP) - Tensions over French president-elect Emmanuel Macron's bid to redraw France's political map burst into the open on Friday (May 12) as a key ally was left furious ahead of crucial parliamentary elections next month.

Macron angered fellow centrist Francois Bayrou and faced mockery from his opponents after his La Republique En Marche (REM, The Republic on the Move) party unveiled more than 400 candidates for crucial parliamentary elections in June.

"It's a big recycling operation for the Socialist party," Bayrou told L'Obs magazine, adding bitterly that candidates from his MoDem party had been offered only 35 constituencies instead of the 120 he expected.

Bayrou, a veteran centrist and presidential candidate, threw his and MoDem's support behind Macron at the end of February at a crucial time when the 39-year-old president-elect's campaign needed new momentum.

"When I offered him my support, he was at 18 per cent," Bayrou added.

Macron, who will be inaugurated on Sunday, has promised to refresh France's parliament and his party unveiled 428 out of 577 candidates on Thursday.

Half of them have never held elected office, including a retired female bullfighter and a star mathematician, and half of them are women.

The initial reaction from three out of four voters was positive, a survey published on Friday by the Harris Interactive polling group suggested.

"Probably the biggest success of Emmanuel Macron is having motivated so many people who were outside of politics to have committed themselves to try to renew things," his spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said on Friday.

But as well as angering Bayrou, REM was forced to correct its list after around 10 people said they had not agreed to stand for the party or had never applied to be a candidate.

One was Mourad Boudjellal, the wealthy president of Toulon rugby club, who said that while he was flattered about being approached, "it is not my ambition" to enter politics.

The vice-president of the far-right National Front, Florian Philippot, accused Macron of "amateurism."

The parliamentary selection process is seen as a tricky and risky balancing act for Macron, who will take over from widely unpopular Socialist Francois Hollande.

Without his own parliamentary majority, the former investment banker will find it hard to push through his planned reforms of the labour market, pensions, unemployment benefits or education.

Macron, a former economy minister in Hollande's government, has so far failed to attract centrist members of the right-wing Republicans party, but still believes some will cross over before next Wednesday.

Before then, he faces other crucial decisions on his staff at the Elysee Palace and his first government.

The most important will be his choice for prime minister, who will head the government until at least the parliamentary elections on June 11 and 18 and perhaps beyond.

Amid feverish speculation in the French media - will he pick a loyal supporter or someone from the right-wing Republicans? - nothing has leaked from his small group of aides.

The choice will send a strong signal about Macron's intentions, and he has promised to pick someone with past experience of parliament and capable of managing a majority. His declared preference is for a woman.

Immediately after his swearing-in, Macron will head to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel to start discussions about his ambitious plans for reforming the European Union.

Macron wants to deepen integration in the 19-country eurozone, giving the zone its own budget, and wants to toughen the EU's response to "unfair" industrial competition from countries such as China. </s> Emmanuel Macron has been inaugurated as French President at the Elysee Palace in France.

Macron, who won the presidential race against the National Front's Marine le Pen with 66 per cent of the vote, is the country's youngest President at the age of 39.

At the inauguration in Paris, Macron said his strong mandate would give French people a new-found confidence; he is taking over from Francois Hollande, who struggled to bring down the nation's high unemployment.

Read more: As Juncker criticises France's overspending, is the Macron honeymoon over?

Macron, a former banker, has also promised to reform the European Union during his time as leader. Demonstrating his commitment to Europe, one of his first acts as President will be to visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin tomorrow.

The new French President is expected to be tough on Brexit, and has previously indicated he has is eyes on London's euro clearing market.

Jean Pisani-Ferry, Macron's economic adviser, said last week that Macron will not be seeking to "punish" the UK for Brexit, but that France and Britain now have diverging interests, paving the way for difficult negotiations.
French President-elect Emmanuel Macron announces his slate of candidates for the upcoming elections for French Parliament.