Re-elected for a second term, Emmanuel Macron was officially invested as the new President of the Republic, this Saturday morning at the Élysée Palace.
The “re-investiture” ceremony was, however, kept to a minimum with 450 guests, as there was no handover.
“If the President of the Republic is reappointed, as in 1988 and in 2002, the investiture ceremony is indeed reduced to a minimum,” said the wise men.
As tradition dictates, the “reinvestiture” ceremony took place in the village hall of the Elysée Palace, which had been completely renovated in 2019. The re-elected President entered there at 11 a.m., accompanied by the presidents of the two Assemblies, Richard Ferrand for the National Assembly and Gérard Larcher for the Senate, as well as outgoing Prime Minister Jean Castex.
Following the protocol, Laurent Fabius, President of the Constitutional Council, read the decision to announce the final results of the election before the Head of State signed the minutes.
This time, the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor did not present the Grand Cross insignia to the newly re-elected President because he had already received them in 2017. Nevertheless, the Grand Master of the Legion of Honor on whom are all the names of the Presidents of the Republic since Vincent Auriol was presented to him.
Then, Emmanuel Macron delivered the traditional inaugural speech. This focused on the influence of France in Europe and in the world. The president called for “national cohesion” and set his course for the next five years.
At the end, a review of the troops took place in the gardens of the Élysée where Emmanuel Macron received military honors and paid homage to the French flag to the sound of the national anthem, “La Marseillaise”, played by the Republican Guard Orchestra. Finally, 21 cannon shots were fired from the Invalides to mark the end of the ceremony.
A familiar scenario
In the history of the Fifth Republic, this is not the first time that the French have attended a “reinvestiture” ceremony.
Indeed, in 1988, François Mitterrand won the presidential election for the second time.
During his “reinvestiture” ceremony, the socialist president reviewed the Republican Guard in the Elysée garden. In his inauguration speech, he insisted on the importance of “national cohesion”.
Aged 79 and weakened by illness, François Mitterrand had given way to Jacques Chirac on May 17, 1995. The one who was his rival in 1988 then won the presidential election at the expense of Lionel Jospin.
After a successful first seven-year term, the French vote again for Jacques Chirac for a second consecutive term. This time it will be a five-year term.
Jacques Chirac’s “reinvestiture” ceremony took place on Thursday May 16, 2002 at 4.30 p.m. at the Élysée Palace. On that day, the President of the Constitutional Council proclaimed the final results of the two rounds of the presidential election, which were held on April 21 and May 5, 2002. Then, a large necklace of the Order was presented to him. by General Jean-Philippe Douin, Grand Chancellor of the Order of the Legion of Honor.
At the end of this presentation, Jacques Chirac gave a speech making national cohesion his priority. He then received the military honors rendered by the honor company of the 1st Republican Guard infantry regiment in the gardens of the presidential palace. And again, on the day of the ceremony, 21 cannon shots had been fired.