Ségolène Royal (born Marie-Ségolène Royal, French pronunciation: [maʁi seɡɔlɛn ʁwajal]; 22 September 1953) is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, she participated in the 2007 French presidential election but lost to Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round.
Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 2014. She won the 2006 Socialist Party primary, becoming the first woman in France to be nominated as a presidential candidate by a major party. In the subsequent 2007 presidential election, she earned further distinction as the first woman to qualify for the second round of a presidential election, but ultimately lost to Sarkozy.
In 2008, Royal narrowly lost to Martine Aubry in the Socialist Party's election for First Secretary at the Party's twenty-second national congress.
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