French President Francois Hollande will formally hand power to his newly elected successor Emmanuel Macron at 10 am local time (4.00 a.m. ET) on Sunday, according to an official source.
Macron won the French presidential election on Sunday by what is expected to be a huge margin, as leaders in France and beyond hailed it as a victory for the European Union.
He won with between 65 and 66 per cent of the vote, projections published by multiple French media showed.
Macron, 39, easily beat far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen after a bitter contest pitting his pro-EU liberal platform against her calls for France to close its borders and pull out of the euro single currency.
He will be the youngest ever president of France, and the first in over a century to be elected by popular vote without the backing of an established political party.
Macron’s Economic Adviser, said he will be tough in negotiations over the terms of Britain’s departure from the European Union but will not seek to punish Britain.
Jean Pisani-Ferry said that no-one had an interest in a hard Brexit that totally severs ties between Britain and the rest of the European Union once it leaves, saying there was a mutual interest in maintaining economic and security ties.
“At the same time, we have divergent interests on some aspects of the negotiations. So there will be a tough negotiation and he will be tough,” Pisani-Ferry told BBC Radio, adding that Macron would not seek retribution against Britain for leaving the EU even as he looked to strengthen the bloc.
Macron plans to visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel shortly after his inauguration, according to Sylvie Goulard, a member of the European Parliament and a close confidante of Macron. (NAN)