Emmanuel Macron sworn in as French president

Emmanuel Macron has taken his oath of office, becoming France's youngest leader since Napoleon.

Macron, an independent candidate, won with a majority of votes in last weekend’s second round of voting against far – right candidate Marine Le Pen. The 39 year-old beat National Front's Marine Le Pen with 66% of the vote. 

This was the new president's first election. Macron had been an investment banker before forming his centrist political movement only a year ago.

Macron takes over from outgoing President Francois Hollande.

Tight security is in place across Paris for the inauguration. Hundreds of extra police will be on patrol across the French capital while the ceremony is conducted at the Elysee Palace, the president's official residence.

France has been under state of emergency since terror attacks took place in 2015. This has resulted in a large section of the city centre closed down for traffic all morning.

Following the formal handover of power is complete, Macron will carry out an ceremonial inspection of troops,  followed by a 21-gun salute.

Macron will then visit the Arc de Triomphe and lay flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier.

Emmanuel Macron's task is to bring about the renewal he's promised for France, to shake up its old political order, reinvigorate its anaemic economy and bring down unemployment rates, hovering at around 10%.

To achieve all that Macron needs his brand new political party, La Republique En Marche, to secure a large number of seats in next month's parliamentary elections. Otherwise he will find it hard to push through his planned reforms.

If he fails, he knows he could wind up like his predecessor, the socialist Francois Hollande, who promised to bring change, but ended up being viewed as weak and indecisive, and who leaves office as France's least popular president of modern times.

At 39, Macron is France's youngest leader since Napoleon and the first to be born after 1958, when France's fifth republic was put in place by President Charles de Gaulle.

His party, La Republique En Marche -"the Republic on the move" - will be fielding candidates for all of France's 577 seats in June's parliamentary elections.

He has promised to "work for everyone" and sees his programme as straddling both left and right.

Macron's first week in office will be rather busy. He heads for Berlin on Monday to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel and to demonstrate his commitment to the European Union.

He is also expected to name a prime minister on Monday.

Macron faces major challenges including high unemployment, especially among France's young, and low economic growth.

He says his main aims are to boost investment and to set up a "new growth model" that increases social mobility and helps the environment.

"My aim isn't to bring together the right or the left but to bring together the French people," he said, upon announcing his candidacy.

Macron's electoral victory ends decades of a political landscape dominated by the two traditional main left-wing and right-wing parties in France.