Francois Hollande assumed office during a modest ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, May 15, 2012.
Francois Hollande Takes Office in France
![French President-elect Francois Hollande, right, shakes hands with outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy before the handover ceremony Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at the Elysee Palace in Paris.](https://gdb.voanews.com/3E89E432-79A2-4305-933B-96106A550F00_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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French President-elect Francois Hollande, right, shakes hands with outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy before the handover ceremony Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
![Francois Hollande drives down the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris after the handover ceremony.](https://gdb.voanews.com/3231FF0A-B3FF-435A-9FAA-71548D744FB6_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Francois Hollande drives down the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris after the handover ceremony.
![Hollande smiles from his car during a rain shower on the Champs Elysees.](https://gdb.voanews.com/321AE7B7-C730-40E9-9597-090FB993199F_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Hollande smiles from his car during a rain shower on the Champs Elysees.
![Outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy leaves the Elysee Palace after the handover ceremony.](https://gdb.voanews.com/AD8D6512-9398-4773-8EE1-BD1BDAA16F0C_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy leaves the Elysee Palace after the handover ceremony.