Ségolène Royal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ségolène Royal
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Royal in 2012
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| Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy | |
| In office 2 April 2014 – 10 May 2017 |
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| Prime Minister | Manuel Valls Bernard Cazeneuve |
| Preceded by | Philippe Martin |
| Succeeded by | Nicolas Hulot (Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition) |
| President of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes | |
| In office 30 March 2004 – 21 April 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Élisabeth Morin |
| Succeeded by | Jean-François Macaire |
| Minister delegate for Families, Children and People with Disabilities | |
| In office 20 March 2000 – 6 May 2002 |
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| Prime Minister | Lionel Jospin |
| Preceded by | Martine Aubry |
| Succeeded by | Jean-François Mattei |
| Minister delegate for School Teaching | |
| In office 4 June 1997 – 27 March 2000 |
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| Prime Minister | Lionel Jospin |
| Preceded by | Françoise Hostalier (Secretary of State for School Teaching) |
| Succeeded by | Xavier Darcos (Minister of Labour, Social Relations, Families, Solidarity and the Cities) |
| Minister of the Environment | |
| In office 2 April 1992 – 29 March 1993 |
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| Prime Minister | Pierre Bérégovoy |
| Preceded by | Brice Lalonde |
| Succeeded by | Michel Barnier |
| Member of the National Assembly for Deux-Sèvres's 2nd constituency |
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| In office 19 June 2002 – 19 June 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Jean-Pierre Marché |
| Succeeded by | Delphine Batho |
| In office 2 April 1993 – 4 July 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Jean-Pierre Marché |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Pierre Marché |
| In office 23 June 1988 – 2 May 1992 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency re-established |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Pierre Marché |
| Departmental Councillor of Deux-Sèvres | |
| In office 2 April 1992 – 27 March 1998 |
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| Constituency | Canton of La Mothe-Saint-Héray |
| Ambassador of France for the Arctic and Antarctica | |
| In office 1 September 2017 – 24 January 2020 |
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| President | Emmanuel Macron |
| Preceded by | Michel Rocard |
| Succeeded by | Olivier Poivre d'Arvor |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Marie-Ségolène Royal
22 September 1953 Dakar, French West Africa (present-day Senegal) |
| Political party | Independent (2017–2021; 2023–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
PS (1978–2017; 2021–2023) |
| Domestic partner | François Hollande (1978–2007) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Gérard Royal (brother) |
| Alma mater | Nancy 2 University Sciences Po ÉNA |
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Ségolène Royal (born Marie-Ségolène Royal on 22 September 1953) is a French politician. She was the candidate for the Socialist Party in the 2007 French presidential election.
Royal led the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 2014. In 2006, she won the Socialist Party's primary election. This made her the first woman in France to be chosen as a presidential candidate by a major political party. In the 2007 election, she was also the first woman to reach the second round of a presidential election. However, she lost to Nicolas Sarkozy.
In 2008, she narrowly lost the election for First Secretary of the Socialist Party to Martine Aubry. She also did not win the Socialist Party presidential primary in 2011. In 2012, she failed to win a seat in the National Assembly.
She has four children with François Hollande, who later became the President of France. In 2013, she was appointed vice-chair of the Banque Publique d'Investissement (BPI). From 2014 to 2017, she served as the Minister for Ecology.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Marie-Ségolène Royal was born on 22 September 1953. Her birthplace was a military base in Dakar, French West Africa (now Senegal). Her parents, Hélène Dehaye and Jacques Royal, had eight children.
She went to secondary school in Melle, Deux-Sèvres. Later, she studied economics at a local university and graduated second in her class. Her older sister encouraged her to apply to Institut d'études politiques de Paris, known as Sciences Po. She attended on a scholarship.
In 1972, at age 19, Royal sued her father. He had refused to divorce her mother and pay for the children's education. She won the case after several years. Her father passed away in 1981.
Like many French political leaders, Royal graduated from the École nationale d'administration (ENA). She was in the same class as her former partner, François Hollande. During her time at ENA, she dropped "Marie" from her first name.
Political Career Highlights
Starting in Politics
After graduating in 1980, Royal worked as a judge in an administrative court. In 1982, President François Mitterrand's adviser, Jacques Attali, noticed her. She joined his staff and worked there until 1988.
Member of the National Assembly
In 1988, she decided to run for the legislative election. She ran in the Deux-Sèvres area. This was an example of "parachuting," where promising political staff from Paris run in local districts. She won against a strong opponent.
She served as a representative in the National Assembly for the Deux-Sèvres' 2nd constituency for several terms (1988–1992, 1993–1997, 2002–2007).
Ministerial Roles
Royal held several important ministerial positions:
- Minister of Environment: 1992–1993.
- Minister of School Education: 1997–2000.
- Minister of Family and Children: 2000–2001.
- Minister of Family, Children and Disabled persons: 2001–2002.
Leading the Poitou-Charentes Region
On 28 March 2004, Royal won the regional election in Poitou-Charentes with 55% of the votes. She defeated Élisabeth Morin in the home region of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. The next week, she was elected president of the region. She kept her National Assembly seat until 2007.
Presidential Campaign in 2007
On 22 September 2005, Royal announced she was thinking about running for president in 2007. She launched an online campaign called "Desires for the future" in April 2006.
By September, her intentions were clear. She believed sexism in the Socialist Party had prevented them from supporting her more. Polls showed she was more popular than other Socialist leaders.
On 16 November 2006, Royal won the French Socialist Party primary. She defeated Laurent Fabius and Dominique Strauss-Kahn. This made her the party's candidate for the 2007 presidential election. She won 60.69% of the party members' votes.
After the first round of the presidential election, she faced Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round. On 6 May, Sarkozy won the presidency with 53% of the vote. Royal accepted her defeat and wished Sarkozy well.
Later Political Efforts
In 2008, Royal ran for the leadership of the Socialist Party. She aimed to replace her former partner, François Hollande. She received the most votes in the first round but lost narrowly to Martine Aubry in the second round.
In 2011, Royal ran in the Socialist Party's first open presidential primary election. She finished fourth with 6.95% of the votes. In 2012, she ran for a seat in the National Assembly but lost.
Return to Government in 2014
On 2 April 2014, Royal was appointed Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. She served in the government of Prime Minister Manuel Valls. By January 2015, she was third in rank in the government.
She often represented President François Hollande at important events. For example, she greeted Pope Francis in Strasbourg in 2014. She also represented France at memorial services in Israel after attacks in January 2015.
In 2016, Royal promised to install 1,000 km of 'solar roadways'. One kilometer was built in Normandie, but it produced less power than expected and was mostly removed within three years.
Ambassador for the Arctic and Antarctic
In June 2017, after Emmanuel Macron became president, Royal accepted the position of Ambassador for the Poles. She held this role until January 2020.
Key Policies and Focus Areas
Royal often focused on family and social issues in her campaigns. She was less focused on economic or foreign policy.
Economy
Royal has spoken about the need for businesses to be responsible. She has opposed moving jobs between EU countries and outsourcing to developing countries. She also pledged to end a flexible work contract for small companies.
She was appointed to the Banque Publique d'Investissement (BPI). She stated that the BPI's goal is not to make profits but to support public investment.
Environment
During her time as Minister for the Environment (1992–1993), Royal worked on important laws. These included laws on waste treatment and recycling, and preserving the countryside. She also supported a law against noise pollution. She helped provide money for people affected by airport noise.
Education
As Minister-delegate for the Family, Children, and the Handicapped (2000–2002), Royal worked on several education programs. These included:
- Re-launching Priority Education Zones.
- Creating a government student lunch program.
- Making language instruction a priority in primary schools.
- Starting a national home-tutoring program.
- Creating programs for parents to be involved in schools.
- Working on laws to protect children's rights and fight violence in schools.
- Implementing mandatory civics classes in secondary schools.
Family and Social Affairs
Royal has written about the negative effects of some TV programs on children. She has also worked for laws supporting parental rights and obligations. She helped create paternity leave and new spaces in French nursery schools. She also supported social housing reform.
She has been active in campaigns for:
- Parental time-off for child illness care.
- Support for parents of children with disabilities.
- Financial help for students starting the new school year.
Royal also supported the creation of "Childhood and the Media" to fight violence in media. She worked on programs for the education and inclusion of children with disabilities.
When she accepted her presidential nomination, Royal said that the status of women is linked to justice in a country. She has also been a long-time critic of violence on television.
In 2002, a law she introduced allowed some parental authority to be shared with same-sex partners. In 2006, she stated her support for legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption for same-sex couples.
Her 2007 campaign website stated her support for more humane prisons. She also supported programs to help offenders re-enter society.
Foreign Policy Views
Royal has commented on various international topics.
International Tours
In January 2007, Royal visited China. She spoke with a lawyer there and noted that the Chinese legal system was "faster" than the French one. She also raised concerns about imprisoned Chinese journalists.
During a meeting in January 2007 with Parti Québécois leader André Boisclair, Royal expressed support for the Quebec sovereignty movement in Canada.
Personal Life
From the late 1970s, Ségolène Royal was the partner of François Hollande. They met at ENA. They have four children: Thomas (born 1984), Clémence (born 1985), Julien (born 1987), and Flora (born 1992). News of their separation was shared in June 2007.
Royal's eldest son, Thomas Hollande, helped her during her presidential campaign. He worked on a website for young voters.
Royal was listed as one of the fifty best-dressed people over 50 by The Guardian in March 2013.
See also
In Spanish: Ségolène Royal para niños
