Macron formally named next French president Elysee palace

Emmanuel Macron has arrived at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris to formally take power as the country’s 25th president.

The 39-year-old slowly marched alone, under a light rain, in the Elysee courtyard before shaking hands with his predecessor, Francois Hollande, at the front porch and the two men briefly posed for photographers.

His predecessor, Francois Hollande, greeted him in its opulent courtyard Sunday in front of hundreds of journalists.

The two met in the president’s office before Hollande’s departure, taking a last few minutes to discuss the most sensitive issues facing France – including the country’s nuclear codes.

Following the ceremony and military honours at the Elysee palace, Mr Macron will go the Tomb of the Unknown soldier, at the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs-Elysees Avenue, a tradition followed by all heads of states in France’s modern history.

Macron takes charge of a nation that, when Britain leaves the European Union in 2019, will become the EU’s only member with nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Macron will then make a speech in the Elysee reception hall in front of about 300 guests, officials and family members, including his wife Brigitte Macron.

After a five-year term, Hollande makes way for Macron, his former adviser then economy minister, in a ceremony at the Elysee presidential palace.

The Socialist leader, who described himself as ‘normal,’ was able to comfort and unite his nation during its worst terrorist attacks in decades.

Following the January 2015 attacks at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, Hollande proved to be a statesman who brought world leaders together to link arms and march through Paris to defy extremism.

The emotional image of him hugging German Chancellor Angela Merkel, eyes shut, close to his cheek, was published around the world.

In November 2015, Hollande faced the deadliest attacks inflicted on France since World War II when 130 people were slain in Paris at restaurants, at a concert venue and outside a stadium.

That night, Hollande vowed to attack the Islamic State group without mercy as the jihadist group claimed responsibility.

‘When terrorists can commit such atrocities, they must know that they will face a determined, united France,’ he declared

France remains under a state of emergency since then. Last year, another tragic attack killed 86 victims in Nice on July 14, France’s national Bastille Day holiday.

Over the years, Hollande turned from what some considered flimsy custard to become an active, strong chief of war.

In 2013, he launched a military operation in Mali against al-Qaeda-linked Islamist extremists who he believed posed a threat to the African Sahel region.

The same year, he also sent troops the Central African Republic in an intervention aimed at disarming ex-rebels and militias that were pushing the country toward anarchy.

Since September 2014, France’s jet fighters have been bombing IS targets in Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coalition – and extended that operation to Syria beginning in September 2015.

During Hollande’s term, France achieved a seemingly unachievable triumph: uniting the world to seal a global climate pact.

The Paris climate agreement, adopted on December 12, 2015, was the culmination of more than a year of intense diplomatic efforts by France…

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