New French President Emmanuel Macron was on Sunday sworn into office, taking over from outgoing François Hollande.
Macron, 39, has now become the first president of France born after the establishment of the Fifth Republic in 1958.
In his inaugural speech, president Macron pledged to unite the country, saying it had to overcome the fractures that appeared during the campaigns.
“The division and fractures in our society must be overcome,” the 39-year-old former investment banker said. “The world and Europe needs France more than ever.”
Macron was handed France’s nuclear codes by predecessor Francois Hollande in an inauguration ceremony at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.
Macron won a run-off poll against the National Front candidate Marine Le Pen after they both failed to win an outright majority in the initial vote.
Representatives from every level of government, as well as members of different faiths, joined 100 personal guests as Macron received the Grand Necklace of the Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest award the country can offer.
Macron invited his entire family, including his parents and the children of his wife and now first lady, Brigitte Macron, 64.
