IN PICTURES: Wife, supporters rejoice at Macron becoming youngest French president
May 08, 2017
Elected on Sunday several months before his 40th birthday, the centrist has turned a stale establishment upside down while eschewing the wave of economic and political nationalism that helped Britain to vote for "Brexit" and Donald Trump to be elected US president.
This file photo, taken on April 23, 2017, shows French presidential election candidate for the En Marche! movement Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Trogneux arriving on stage at the Parc des Expositions in Paris, after the first round of the Presidential election. AFP / Eric FEFERBERG
French president-elect Emmanuel Macron (C) holds his wife, Brigitte Trogneux (L) by the hand as he gestures on stage after delivering a speech in front of the Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris on May 7, 2017, after the second round of the French presidential election. AFP / POOL / Philippe Wojazer
French president-elect Emmanuel Macron (C) and his wife Brigitte Trogneux (R) sing the national anthem after he delivered a speech in front of the Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris on May 7, 2017, after the second round of the French presidential election. AFP / POOL / THOMAS SAMSON
French presidential election candidate for the En Marche! movement Emmanuel Macron (C), next to his wife Brigitte Trogneux (R), speaks with supporters in Le Touquet, northern France, on May 7, 2017, after voting for the second round of the French presidential election. / AFP / PHILIPPE HUGUEN
He will be the youngest leader in the current Group of Seven (G7) major nations and has elicited comparisons with youthful leaders past and present, from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to British ex-premier Tony Blair and even President John F. Kennedy in the United States.
Supporters of French president-elect Emmanuel Macron react at the Louvre Museum in Paris on May 7, 2017, after the second round of the French presidential election. AFP / Patrick KOVARIK
Supporters of the French President-Elect, Emmanuel Macron wave flags following the announcement of the results in the second round of the French presidential election, in Paris, France, May 7, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Lopez/Pool
Supporters of French President-elect Emmanuel Macron, head of the political movement En Marche!, or Onwards!, react after the announcement in the second round of 2017 French presidential election at En Marche local headquarters in Marseille, France, May 7, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Laurenson
A supporter of President Elect Emmanuel Macron celebrates in Paris, France, May 7, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
Many attribute Macron's stunning rise to a deep yearning for a fresh face, coupled with a rare message of optimism in a country that has long been obsessed with national decline.
French presidential election candidate for the En Marche! movement Emmanuel Macron casts his ballot at a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France, on May 7, 2017, during the second round of the French presidential election. / AFP / POOL / Christophe Ena
Brigitte Trogneux, the wife of French presidential election candidate for the En Marche! movement Emmanuel Macron, casts her ballot at a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France, on May 7, 2017, during the second round of the French presidential election. / AFP / POOL / Christophe Ena
French president-elect Emmanuel Macron waves to the crowd as he delivers a speech at the Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris on May 7, 2017, after the second round of the French presidential election. AFP / Patrick KOVARIK
French president-elect Emmanuel Macron (C) and his wife Brigitte Trogneux (C-R) wave to the crowd in front of the Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris on May 7, 2017, after the second round of the French presidential election. AFP / Patrick KOVARIK
"His campaign has been like group therapy - to convert the French to optimism," said writer Michel Houellebecq.
"He did to French politics what Uber did to taxis," said Laurent Bigorgne, a friend of Macron's and head of the Institut Montaigne think-tank.
This file photo, taken on April 23, 2017, at La Rotonde restaurant in Paris, shows French presidential election candidate for the En Marche! movement Emmanuel Macron meeting some of his supporters after the first round of the Presidential election. AFP / GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT
French presidential election candidate for the En Marche! movement Emmanuel Macron (L) give a thumbs up as he and his wife Brigitte Trogneux leave after voting in Le Touquet, northern France, on May 7, 2017, during the second round of the French presidential election. / AFP / Philippe HUGUEN
French president-elect Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech in front of the Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris on May 7, 2017, following the announcement of the results of the second round of the French presidential election. AFP / Eric FEFERBERG
French presidential election candidate for the En Marche ! movement Emmanuel Macron (L) poses for a 'selfie' with supporters after voting in Le Touquet, northern France, on May 7, 2017, during the second round of the French presidential election. / AFP / Philippe HUGUEN
French presidential election candidate for the En Marche ! movement Emmanuel Macron waves to supporters after voting in Le Touquet, northern France, on May 7, 2017, during the second round of the French presidential election. / AFP / Eric FEFERBERG
Far-right National Front candidate Marine Le Pen, whom he defeated after an acrimonious runoff campaign, scornfully dubbed him a "smirking banker" in a rancorous TV debate, painting him as the candidate of "globalisation and Uberisation gone wild". In a final put-down, when Le Pen attempted to interrupt his summing-up, Macron told her, "You stay on TV. I want to be president of the country."
