Emmanuel Macron

France elections: Macron rejects prime minister's offer to resign

Elisabeth Borne was criticised by some commentators after Mr Macron's coalition lost its majority on Sunday.

Her future looked under threat after the result, which left the president needing to secure support from rivals.

He is set to meet his political opponents for rare talks on Tuesday.

But neither Marine Le Pen's far-right nor Jean-Luc Mélenchon's left-green alliance are keen to work with Mr Macron's centrist government, which is 44 seats shy of a majority and desperately trying to avoid political paralysis.

No apology for nuclear testing from French president

Emmanuel Macron, in a speech during his official Pacific territorial visit, instead said Paris owed "a debt" to French Polynesia's people and better compensation for victims of the tests.

The nuclear tests remain a deep source of resentment towards France and only 63 victims have so far received any reparations.

     

Emmanuel Macron proves why the Trump handshake matters so much

Emmanuel Macron, for one.

The newly elected French president told a French journal Sunday that his handshake with US President Donald Trump during a meeting during the NATO gathering in Brussels last week was about much more than just an exchange of pleasantries.

"My handshake with him, it's not innocent," Macron said. "It's not the alpha and the omega of politics, but a moment of truth."

He added: "One must show that we won't make little concessions, even symbolic ones."

France will be 'uncompromising' in fight against terrorists

France's new president also reaffirmed his commitment to helping the West African country, where French soldiers have been facing extremists since 2013.

Mr Macron said he hoped to strengthen ties with Germany to boost security in the area, according to Reuters.

This trip is Mr Macron's second foreign visit since his inauguration on Sunday.

He has already visited German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

Mr Macron arrived in Gao, in the north of the former French colony, just before 10:00 GMT (11:00 BST) on Friday.

Macron names Édouard Philippe as French Prime Minister

Philippe is a a member of the centre-right Les Républicains party and is close to Alaine Juppé, the former Prime Minister.

The choice of Philippe -- widely predicted by political pundits -- indicates Macron's desire to draw support from the conservative opposition and create balance, according to Emmanuelle Schön-Quinlivan, lecturer in European politics at University College, Cork.

Emmanuel Macron due to name PM on first day as French president

The appointment is crucial for Mr Macron, who needs to do well in next month's parliamentary elections to push through his planned economic reforms.

Later he will travel to Germany to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The 39-year-old former investment banker and economy minister was inaugurated yesterday in a ceremony at the Élysée Palace.

He promised to convince people that "the power of France is not declining - that we are on the brink of a great renaissance".

Emmanuel Macron sworn in as youngest French president ever

Macron has shaken up French politics with his meteoric rise to the presidency, winning his campaign as an independent and with the backing of a fledgling political party he founded less than a year ago.

At 39, Macron becomes the youngest president in France's history, and the youngest leader since Napoleon.

In a moving first speech as president, Macron described a fractured country and promised to bring confidence back to a nation rattled by global instability.

Emmanuel Macron's irresistible charm

See him on campaign last week: he was talking to hardline CGT union members at a soon-to-close factory in the north. These guys hate everything he stands for. Their jobs are going to Poland.

And yet they weren't baying for his blood, they were listening.

A day later he could be talking to a symposium of stuffed-shirt bosses; or a raucous crowd of banlieue teenagers; or some funky young start-up types. And they would all be listening with the same intent.

As someone said in a recent documentary on France's new president: "The guy could seduce an office chair."

Five reasons why Macron won the French election

A year ago, he was a member of the government of one the most unpopular French presidents in history.

Now, at 39, he has won France's presidential election, defeating first the mainstream centre left and centre right and now the far right as well.

 

He got lucky

No doubt about it, Mr Macron was carried to victory in part by the winds of fortune.

Emmanuel Macron wins presidency as France rejects far-right

Macron has won 65.51% of the vote with 98.12% of polling stations declared, France's interior ministry said Sunday evening.

In a clear rejection of France's mainstream parties, voters have turned to the 39-year-old to help bring unity to a deeply fractured country.

The result is remarkable considering Macron, a centrist independent, campaigned without a traditional party and with no experience of governing.

"I know the country is divided and this has led to people voting for extremes," Macron said in a speech at his team's headquarters.