« Behind every uniform there is courage. Behind every sacrifice, a family. Behind every hero, a France that remembers », the president wrote on X before the ceremony began.
Emmanuel Macron first made his way down the Champs-Élysées, where he was greeted by his prime minister Sébastien Lecornu.
As tradition dictates, he laid a wreath in front of the statue of Georges Clémenceau, nicknamed “the father of victory” for his role in World War I.
Emmanuel Macron, who has presided over these ceremonies since 2017, then walked up the avenue to the Arc de Triomphe.
For the last time as president, he paid homage to the flag and reviewed the troops, before rekindling the flame of the Unknown Soldier.
With a solemn air and a jacket decorated with a Bleuet, the emblem that honors those who died for France, the president listened to the names of the five soldiers who died in service in 2026, followed by the notes of La Marseillaise.
Several of the candidates who aspire to succeed him also took part in commemorations in other regions.
Marine Le Pen (National Rally) was, as usual, in her stronghold of Hénin-Beaumont, in Pas-de-Calais, in the presence of town residents and many media outlets.
The Insoumise Jean-Luc Mélenchon went to the Creuse. “Maudite soit la guerre”, he proclaimed in front of the memorial to the dead at Gentioux.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon sparked controversy by arguing last weekend that the population of Donbass, a region largely occupied by Russia in eastern Ukraine, should be consulted in the event of territorial concessions.
“I repeat it, since they looked for trouble on the subject, Russia must withdraw from Ukraine where it has no business”, the candidate said on Wednesday, often accused of aligning with the Kremlin’s line.
But he reaffirmed that any modification of borders could not be made without “asking the populations for their opinion”.
