Nicolas Sarkozy succeeded Jacques Chirac as French president on Wednesday in a simple ceremony, promising to revitalise France and restore national pride.
Sarkozy was inaugurated under the chandeliers of the Elysee Palace, which will be his home for the next five years, shortly after his predecessor drove off into retirement.
In his inaugural address in the gilded Salle des Fetes, Sarkozy vowed he would not let down the French people and said he would seek to unite the nation.
”I will defend the independence of France. I will defend the identity of France,” said the conservative leader, who is 52 and the first French head of state born after World War II.
He also pledged to put the fight against global warming and the defence of human rights at the heart of his foreign policy.
His first gesture after his speech was to greet family members, including his wife Cecilia, dressed in a shimmering gold gown, to whom he gave an affectionate caress on the cheek.
After a private lunch, Sarkozy will ride in a motorcade up the Avenue des Champs Elysees, escorted by the mounted Republican Guard, and lay a floral tribute at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe.
He will then fly to Berlin to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel in a trip aimed at underscoring the importance of Franco-German relations, which appeared to drift at the end of Chirac’s rule.
Sarkozy is widely expected to name moderate conservative Francois Fillon as his prime minister on Thursday, and draft centrists and high-profile leftists into a streamlined Cabinet whose line-up will probably be announced on Friday.
Nuclear codes
Chirac, who ruled for 12 years, met Sarkozy for half an hour to give him the launch codes for France’s nuclear strike force. He then left the Elysee to loud cheers, with Sarkozy applauding and waving goodbye from the steps of the palace.
The office he inherits wields more powers than any other elected Western leader.
A 21-gun salute resounded near the tomb of emperor Napoleon across the River Seine as Constitutional Council President Jean-Louis Debre proclaimed Sarkozy the sixth president of France’s Fifth Republic.
”From this day on and for duration of your mandate you embody France, symbolise the republic and represent all the French people,” Debre said.
Sarkozy, who defeated Socialist Ségolène Royal in a May 6 run-off ballot, says he will take a more hands-on approach than his predecessor. He wants to be judged on his record in trying to restore full employment and boost living standards.
Data on Wednesday showed France’s private sector added jobs at the fastest rate in six years and growth was seen picking up in the second quarter, good news that could boost his efforts.
But unions and students have warned Sarkozy, a law and order hardliner who mixes pro-market economic views and state intervention, not to ram through changes without negotiations.
Looking to reach across political divides, Sarkozy is expected to name Bernard Kouchner, a Socialist former health minister and human rights campaigner, as his foreign minister. — Reuters