Emmanuel Macron won office in 2017 running as an independent centrist and an ambitious reformer. The youngest president elected in France's modern political era, Macron's rise to the Élysée Palace atop a fledgling party he had founded himself was swift and iconoclastic. But far from that smooth road, his five-year term was pockmarked with pitfalls and unprecedented crises. Now vying for re-election, Macron, beloved or hated, is as divisive as ever.
Back in 2017, Macron had never been elected to any public office before he beat far-right finalist Marine Le Pen, 66.1 percent to her 33.9, to win the French presidency. Still in his 30s, the rookie leader was a fresh face in every sense.
