Macron, Emmanuel (1977-….), became president of France in May 2017. Macron, founder and leader of the centrist En Marche! (On the Move!) party, replaced President François Hollande, who chose not to run for a second five-year term. Just 39 years old when he took office, Macron became the youngest person ever to serve as president of France.
Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron was born on Dec. 21, 1977, in Amiens, in northern France. In 2001, he earned a master’s degree in public service from the Paris Institute of Political Studies, better known as Sciences Po. He also earned a master’s degree in philosophy that year from the Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, sometimes referred to in English as the University of Paris Nanterre or the University of Paris X. Macron then trained for a civil service career at the École Nationale d’Administration (National School of Administration). Often called the ENA, the school prepared many of its students for government careers. In 2021, the ENA was closed and replaced by the Institut National du Service Public (National Institute of Public Service).
Macron worked as an inspector of finances in the French Ministry of Economy from 2004 to 2008, during which time he joined France’s Socialist Party. He worked as an investment banker before joining the staff of President Hollande in 2012 and the cabinet of Prime Minister Manuel Valls in 2014. Macron founded En Marche! in April 2016. In late August, he resigned from his government post to run for president. After Macron was elected president in May 2017, the En Marche! party expanded its name to La République en Marche (The Republic on the Move).
France faced a number of challenges during Macron’s presidency. The gilets jaunes (yellow vests) demonstrations, in 2018 and 2019, protested fuel taxes and other government policies. Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 health crisis caused great economic and social disruption. Macron was reelected president in April 2022. He defeated Marine Le Pen of the right-wing National Rally party. Macron’s party later changed its name to Renaissance.
