Macron vows new start in second term

Reelected president promises to find fair method to build stronger France

During an inauguration ceremony for his second term, France's President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to build a strong and independent France and European Union and avoid any further escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Macron beat the far-right politician Marine Le Pen in the election runoff on April 24 by winning 58.5 percent of the votes, making him the first French leader to serve a second term in the past 20 years.

During the ceremony at the Elysee Palace on Saturday, Laurent Fabius, head of the Constitutional Council, read a statement confirming Macron's election victory. Macron was given the necklace of Grand Master of the Legion of Honor, France's highest distinction.

Later from the Elysee Palace Macron walked to the Invalides Gardens, where, following tradition, 21 cannon shots were fired from the military memorial complex.

In his 10-minute acceptance speech, Macron, 44, called for "relentless action" for France to become "a more independent nation" and to "live better and to build our own French and European response to the century's challenges".

"From the return of war to Europe to the pandemic and the ecological emergency, rarely has our country been faced with such a combination of challenges.

"The French people have chosen a clear and explicit project for the future, a European project of independence, scientific, social and ecological progress."

Macron said that his second term will not merely be a continuation of his first term, a clear acknowledgment of public grievances related to a host of social and economic issues.

Discontent about high living costs triggered the widespread anti-government yellow vest movement in late 2018. Macron's plan to raise the retirement age was a controversial issue in the election.

He promised to find a "fair method" to govern the country and ease social tensions by making the government and parliament work together with unions, associations and other people in political, economic, social and cultural spheres.

"We need to invent a new method together, far from tired traditions and routines, with which we can build a new productive, social and ecological contract," he said.

Macron, who at the age of 39 in 2017 became France's youngest president, will officially begin his second five-year term on Friday evening. He is expected to name a new premier to replace Jean Castex and name other cabinet ministers.

Challenges ahead

The ceremony on Saturday came after a coalition of the political left was formed last week under the leadership of Jean-Luc Melenchon of La France Insoumise in an effort to deprive Macron of a majority in parliamentary elections on June 12 and 19. Melenchon gained the third-highest number of votes in the first round of presidential voting on April 10 and is popular among many young voters.

Macron is expected to visit the European Parliament in Strasbourg for Europe Day on Monday before going to Berlin later this week to meet Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

About 500 people attended Saturday's ceremony, including former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, and former prime ministers Edouard Philippe, Manuel Valls, Alain Juppe and Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Agencies contributed to this story.