Obama-Endorsed Emmanuel Macron Wins French Presidency

PARIS (AP) — French president-elect Emmanuel Macron's inauguration will be held by the end of the coming week at the Elysee palace. But the exact date hasn't yet been set.

The ceremony must be scheduled before the formal end of the term of Socialist President Francois Hollande on May 14.

Macron will attend his first official event as president-elect on Monday by Hollande's side at the commemoration of World War II Victory Day.

The Constitutional Council will declare the definitive results of the vote by Thursday.

Once president, Macron will have to quickly designate a prime minister and form a government. The whole process usually takes no more than a few days.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen's National Front party will be changing its name.

Le Pen said in her presidential concession speech Sunday night that she would make "deep" changes to her party, and interim party president Steeve Briois told The Associated Press that would include a new name.

He said "It's opening the doors of the movement to other personalities then give it a new name to restart on a new basis."

He called the election result a "semi-victory" because the party won more votes than ever before.

There has long been internal talk of changing the name of the party but that felt too radical for some National Front militants.

A name change would help Le Pen further distance herself from the party's anti-Semitic past and her hard-line father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Greece's prime minister has tweeted his satisfaction over French centrist Emmanuel Macron's victory in France's presidential election.

Alexis Tsipras says that Macron's "victory is a fresh breath for France and the whole of Europe. I am certain we will work closely together for Europe to change course, inspire its people again so as to never again experience the nightmare of the extreme right."

Macron beat far-right leader Marine Le Pen in Sunday's runoff. Tsipras had called Macron to congratulate him after the first-round results on April 23.