Royal, Ségolène

Royal, Ségolène (Marie-Ségolène Royal) (märē`-sāgōlĕn` rwäyäl`), 1953–, French politician, b. Dakar, Senegal. A graduate of the École Nationale d'Administration (1980) who worked as a special assistant (1982–88) to President François Mitterrand, she was first elected to the national assembly, as a Socialist, in 1988. She served as minister of the environment (1992–93), minister for school education (1997–2000), and minister for the family and childhood (2000–2002). In 2004 she was elected president of the Poitou-Charentes regional council. Especially personable and outgoing for a French politician, the media-savvy Royal was chosen in 2006 to be the Socialist party's candidate for the presidency, becoming the first woman to be a major party candidate for the post.