Paris: With a 21-gun salute booming out from Hotel des Invalides, where Napoleon Bonaparte lies buried, Nicolas Sarkozy was today formally installed at the Elysee Palace as the sixth President of France's Fifth Republic established in 1958.

At a ceremony at the Elysee presidential palace, the outgoing President Jacques Chirac handed over the codes for the country's nuclear deterrent, which can be activated only by the head of state.

"The people have given me a mandate. I will carry it out. I will carry it out scrupulously, with the desire to be worthy of the trust that the French have placed in me," the new President said in a 10-minute televised address. "I will defend the independence, the identity of France. I will ensure respect for state authority, and above all, its impartiality. There is a demand for change. Never have the risks of inertia been so great for France as they are now. Any delay can be fatal," he said.

Although Mr. Sarkozy has never actually spelt out what he precisely means by "national identity", it is largely assumed the words stand for white, Christian values. Without pronouncing the word "immigration", he said he would defend a certain idea of France, one considered under assault by Muslim immigrants.

Among those present at the Elysee were Mr. Sarkozy's wife Cecilia, their 10-year-old son Louis and the four grown-up children they have from previous marriages. There has been intense speculation here about the stability of the new presidential couple. Ms. Cecilia Sarkozy was not at his side when he met supporters after his victory on May 6. Mr. Sarkozy (52), the son of Hungarian immigrants, has vowed to act quickly, calling a special session of the National Assembly in July to pass a first wave of reforms — introducing tax cuts, trimming trade unions, as well as new controls on immigration and tougher sentencing rules for serial offenders.

This past week, the media has played a guessing game about the composition of his Government. Francois Fillion, a staunch Sarkozy loyalist, is widely expected to be named Prime Minister. The new President has made repeated overtures to prominent Leftists, including Hubert Vedrine, former Socialist foreign minister, Anne Lauvergeon, once lieutenant to Socialist President Francois Mitterrand and the present head of the nuclear giant Areva. He has also reached out to Bernard Kouchner, who founded the NGO Doctors Without Borders. Mr. Kouchner, it is rumoured, has accepted the post of Foreign Minister.

Mr. Sarkozy appeared to have started off on a wrong note when he spent his first night as President-elect at Fouquets, one of Paris' most expensive hotels, dining with top industrialist friends. Later, he accepted the invitation of another industrialist to cruise the Mediterranean on a 60-metre yacht. Mr. Sarkozy defended himself saying it had not cost the French state any money but several political observers felt it had sent the wrong signal.

On Tuesday, Mr. Chirac bid an emotional farewell to the nation. "I want to tell you what a great honour it has been to serve you," he said, confirming that he planned to set up a foundation devoted to "dialogue between cultures and sustainable development". But long before that happens, Mr. Chirac is likely to be questioned by investigators looking into allegations of illegal party funding.

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