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Inauguration day: Macron to become France’s new president

Photographers stand in the courtyard of the Elysee Palace prior to an inauguration ceremony between president-elect Emmanuel Macron and outgoing President Francois Hollande in Paris, Sunday, May 14, 2017. Macron will officially take power on Sunday following an inauguration ceremony with his predecessor Hollande at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Photographers stand in the courtyard of the Elysee Palace prior to an inauguration ceremony between president-elect Emmanuel Macron and outgoing President Francois Hollande in Paris, Sunday, May 14, 2017. Macron will officially take power on Sunday following an inauguration ceremony with his predecessor Hollande at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

By Associated Press May 14, 2017 1 min read

PARIS (AP) – France’s new President Emmanuel Macron is formally taking power during a ceremony at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.

His predecessor, Francois Hollande, is to welcome him in the courtyard Sunday in front of hundreds of journalists.

The two are were meeting in the president’s office before Hollande’s departure, taking a last few minutes to discuss the most sensitive issues facing France, including the country’s nuclear codes.

Macron takes charge of a nation that, when Britain leaves the European Union in 2019, will become the EU’s only member with nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Macron will then make a speech in the Elysee reception hall in front of about 300 guests, officials and family members, including his wife Brigitte Macron.