New French President Emmanuel Macron, center left, accompanies former French President Francois Hollande as he leaves after the inauguration ceremony at the Elysee palace in Paris, France, Sunday, May 14, 2017. (AP/PTI Photo)
Paris: Emmanuel Macron took power as president of France on Sunday, vowing to restore the country's status in Europe and the world and heal divisions in society - a nod to the bitter campaign the pro-EU centrist fought to defeat a far-right leader.
The 39-year-old former investment banker, unknown to the wider public three years ago and whose May 7 election marked a meteoric rise to power, was inaugurated leader of the world's fifth-largest economy in a solemn Elysee Palace ceremony.
In his first words after taking office, he pledged to restore France's standing on the world stage, strengthen national self-confidence and heal divisions that the bitterly-fought campaign had opened up.
Macron beat the National Front's Marine Le Pen in a May 7 run-off vote but the long campaign exposed deep divisions over France's role in Europe, immigration, and policies to revive a sluggish economy bedevilled by high unemployment.
"The division and fractures in our society must be overcome. I know that the French expect much from me. Nothing will make me stop defending the higher interests of France and from working to reconcile the French," Macron declared.
Although his victory over Le Pen was comfortable, almost half of France's 47 million voters chose candidates with views opposed to Macron's in the first round of the election.