Macron sworn in for rare 2nd term as France’s president

The ceremony was held at the Elysee Palace on Saturday.

Macron won 58.5% of the votes in the second round against Marine Le Pen.

In a short speech, the president said his second term would be “new” and not merely a continuation of the first.

“We need to invent a new method together, far from tired traditions and routines, with which we can build a new productive, social and ecological contract.”

“Rarely has our world and our country been confronted with such a combination of challenges,” he said, referring to the Ukraine conflict, the pandemic, and the ecological emergency.

Macron vowed to be a “new president” for a “new mandate” and create a “stronger France.”

The president, however, faces a daunting agenda of implementing the reforms he promised when he came to power as France’s youngest-ever president in 2017. Facing rising inflation as a major domestic challenge, he is also trying to support Ukraine against Russia.

Last month, Macron said France’s aid to Ukraine amounted to “more than 615 tonnes of equipment, including medical equipment, generators for hospitals, food aid, shelter aid, and emergency vehicles.”

French journalist Pierre Haski told Al-Jazeera that this is a big challenge for Macron, who “is both trying to support Ukraine and at the same time limit the damage and consequences of this crisis on the French population.”

Prices in France were up 4.5 percent in March compared to a year earlier, according to the national statistical institute Insee. Energy prices also went up by a staggering 28.9 percent.