He went up the steps of the Elysée alone, for lack of transfer of power. Emmanuel Macron, re-elected on the evening of April 24, was officially invested as the new President of the French Republic on Saturday May 7. The event, more restrained and shorter than five years ago, was marked by a few highlights during a ceremony very codified, made up of civil and military traditions. Here’s what to remember.
1The result of the election proclaimed by Laurent Fabius (with a small error)
As is customary, thehe official results of the presidential election were announced by the President of the Constitutional Council, Laurent Fabius, in the village hall of the Elysée Palace.
The former socialist minister made a small mistake, reversing two numbers (a 7 and a 6) in the proclamation [de mémoire] of these numbers. He said that Emmanuel Macron had collected “18,678,639 votes”. In reality, he was elected with 18,768,639 votes, noted journalist Elga Marzou on Twitter.
Small error in the figures announced by Laurent #Fabius: @EmmanuelMacron was elected by 18,768,639 votes and not 18,678,639 as said by the pdt of the constitutional council.
— Elga Marzou (@ElgaMarzou) May 7, 2022
2Global warming in Emmanuel Macron’s speech
After being recognized as Grand Master of the National Order of the Legion of Honor and having received for the second time the collar of the Grand Master of the Legion of Honor, the re-elected President delivered his inaugural speech. In this ten-minute speech, he spoke about the dangers of climate change: “We are there, at this moment when the century is changing and when, in the great planetary disorder, we have together to trace a path and to show a way. My conviction is made”.
Emmanuel Macron has promised to preside with “a new method” in “planning, reforming, associating” the French. He did the “oath to bequeath a more livable planet” and “a stronger France”.
3The tears of the parents of Samuel Paty
After his speech, Emmanuel Macron greeted the personalities invited to the ceremony. Among them, theare parents of Samuel Paty, the history and geography professor assassinated in October 2020 by an Islamist terrorist. The couple, who had already met the head of state, did not hold back their tears. The embrace between the president and the teacher’s mother is one of the very strong images of the morning.
4François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy among the guests
For the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic, two former presidents attended the ceremony: Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande. Before greeting them and exchanging a word with each, Emmanuel Macron welcomed the presence of his two predecessors in his speech.
5The 21 cannon shots from the Esplanade des Invalides
You can count again: 21 cannon shots were fired from the Esplanade des Invalides to close this ceremony, as is the Republican tradition. For the record, we fired before 101 cannon shots but General de Gaulle decided to reduce the sails.
