The French President elect, Mr. Francois Hollande, will be sworn in as the country's President today. He will attend an inauguration ceremony at the Elysee Palace with outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Soon after his inauguration he will name his cabinet. In the afternoon, Mr. Hollande will fly to Germany for dinner with Chancellor Merkel. The trip underscores the importance of the German-French relationship in Europe at a tumultuous time. Mr Hollande has criticised the German-led focus on austerity as the way out of the crisis.