Ségolène Royal

Ségolène Royal
Ségolène Royal
President of Poitou-Charentes
Incumbent
Assumed office 
30 March 2004
Preceded by Élisabeth Morin
In office
9 June 2002 – 17 June 2007
In office
1 June 1997 – 4 July 1997
In office
2 April 1993 – 21 April 1997
In office
13 June 1988 – 13 June 1992
Constituency Deux-Sèvres
Minister of the Environment and Way of Life
In office
2 April 1992 – 29 March 1993
Prime Minister Pierre Bérégovoy
Preceded by Brice Lalonde
Succeeded by Michel Barnier
Born 22 September 1953 (1953-09-22) (age 56)
Dakar, Senegal
Political party Socialist Party
Religion Roman Catholic (non practising) [1]
Website desirsdavenir.com

Marie-Ségolène Royal (born 22 September 1953 in Dakar, Senegal, then a French colony), known as Ségolène Royal, (IPA: [seɡɔlɛn ʁwajal]) is a French politician. She is the president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council, a former member of the National Assembly, a former government minister, and a prominent member of the Socialist Party. On 16 November 2006, Socialist Party members elected her as their candidate for the 2007 French presidential election. She was the first woman in France to be nominated for President by a major party.

In the first round of voting in that election, on 22 April 2007, Royal received 25.87% of votes to qualify for the second round to face Nicolas Sarkozy who received 31.18%. Sarkozy was elected on 6 May, with 53.06% of the votes, and Royal lost the election with 46.94%.[2]

Contents

Early life

Ségolène Royal was born in the military base of Ouakam, Dakar, Senegal on 22 September 1953, the daughter of Hélène Dehaye and Jacques Royal, a former artillery officer and aide to the mayor of Chamagne (Vosges).

Her parents had eight children in nine years: Marie-Odette, Marie-Nicole, Gérard, Marie-Ségolène, Antoine, Paul, Henri and Sigisbert.

After high school, Marie-Ségolène attended a local university where she graduated 2nd in her class with a degree in Economics. Her eldest sister then suggested she prepare the entrance exam to the elite Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris popularly called Sciences Po, which she attended on scholarship. There she discovered politics of class and feminism. ("Sciences Po" at the time was 85% upper-class Parisian, mostly male.) In summer 1971, she was an au pair in Dublin, Ireland.[3] In 1972, at the age of 19, Royal sued her father because he refused to divorce her mother and pay alimony and child support to finance the children's education. She won the case after many years in court, shortly before Jacques Royal died of lung cancer in 1981. Six of the eight children had refused to see him again, Ségolène included.[4]

Royal, like most of France's political elite, is a graduate of the École Nationale d'Administration (ENA). She was in the same class as her former partner of 30 years, François Hollande (whom she met at a party), as well as Dominique de Villepin[5] (prime minister under Jacques Chirac). Each class year at the ENA receives a nickname to distinguish it: Royal tried to get her peers to name their class after Louise Michel, a revolutionary from the 1870s, but they chose the name "Voltaire" instead. During her time at the ENA, Royal also dropped "Marie" from her hyphenated first name because she thought it had been chosen by her father for his daughters with a reactionary and degrading view of the role of women.

Political career

After graduating in 1980, she elected to serve as a judge (conseiller) of an administrative court before she was noticed by President François Mitterrand's special adviser Jacques Attali and recruited in his staff in 1982. She held the junior rank of chargée de mission from 1982 to 1988.[6] She worked on issues related to culture and education and was then entrusted with foreign policy issues, especially related to the Middle East. On impulse she decided to become a candidate for the 1988 legislative election; she registered in the rural, Western Deux-Sèvres Département. Her candidacy was an example of the French political tradition of parachutage (parachuting), appointing promising "Parisian" political staffers as candidates in provincial districts to test their mettle. She was up against an entrenched UDF incumbent, and François Mitterrand is said to have told her: "You will not win, but you will next time." Straddling strongly Catholic and Protestant areas, that district had been held by conservatives since WW2. She did win against the odds, and remarked: "Pour un parachutage, l'atterrissage est réussi." ("As far as parachuting goes, the landing was a success").[7] After this election, she served as representative in the National Assembly for the Deux-Sèvres département (1988-1992, 1993-1997, 2002-2007). Her local success included classifying the "marais poitevin" as one of Mitterrand's "Grands Travaux" outside of Paris and diverting a highway that was planned to run through it (it would have resulted in the destruction of the natural habitat and local culture.) She displayed her peculiar sense of humor during her various campaigns: she famously defended a local goat cheese (chabichou) costumed as a local peasant and had the national assembly sing an anthem to it. Her constituents enjoyed meeting her shopping at the market where she never refused a glass of wine (even at 9 am) and could aptly comment on local varieties of foods and drinks. that local reputation as a "bon vivant" along with her struggles to protect their area got her re-elected each time she was a candidate.

Ségolène Royal (right) at a 6 February 2007 meeting with Dominique Strauss-Kahn (left) and Bertrand Delanoë (centre)
Ms Royal with Réunionese politician Paul Vergès in 2006

On 28 March 2004, she was elected (with more than 55%) president ("State Governor") of the region Poitou-Charentes, notably defeating Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin's protégée, Élisabeth Morin, in his home region. She kept her National Assembly seat until June 2007, when she chose not to run in the legislative election, in agreement with one of her presidential campaign's promises. She organized a run-off between two contenders; the winner, Delphine Batho, went on to win the district for her and Royal's party.

Ministerial career

Elected office

2007 Presidential candidacy

Main article: French presidential election, 2007
Royal on the trail
Youthful supporters backing Royal during the campaign
Crowds of Royal supporters wait to hear the results of the election

On 22 September 2005 Paris Match published an interview in which she declared that she was considering running for the presidency in 2007. [8] In 2006 the CPE (first employment contract) laws were proposed with large protests as a result. Rather than going to the organized protest, she voted a law in her "région" whereby no company using that type of contract would receive the Région's subsidies. The government backed down and stated that the law would be put on the statute book, but that it would not be applied. After this event Royal was tipped as the lead contender in what is dubbed the "Sarko-Sego" race against Nicolas Sarkozy. Until that time, she had not been thought a likely candidate as she had stayed out of the Socialist Party's power struggles.

On 7 April 2006, Royal launched an Internet-led electoral campaign at Désirs d'avenir ("Desires for the future"), publishing the first of ten chapters of her political manifesto. The campaign — which allowed contributions by visitors in order to help "complete" the book — was designed to help Royal produce a document which was to be published in September 2006, two months before the Socialist Party elected her its presidential candidate.

By the beginning of September, her intentions had become quite clear. She has said that only widespread sexism in the Socialist Party had prevented it from rallying around her candidacy as it would have had she been a man. She announced an official team to promote her campaign on 30 August. At this point, polls showed her to be much more popular than her closest competitor, former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, and other Socialist heavyweights Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Jack Lang, another former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius and François Hollande.

Her status as a presidential candidate became more likely on 28 September 2006, when Lionel Jospin announced that he would not run after all. Jack Lang followed suit. On 16 November, Royal defeated Laurent Fabius and Dominique Strauss-Kahn in the French Socialist Party primary, becoming the party's candidate for the 2007 presidential election. The Socialist party's members voted 60.69% for her and gave a bit under 20% each to the more traditional contenders. She also won in 101 of 104 of the Socialist Party's fédérations, losing only Haute-Corse, Mayotte and Seine-Maritime (the latter being the home region of Laurent Fabius).

One of her top advisors, Éric Besson, resigned soon afterwards over a disagreement about the costs of this programme, which he believes could reach €35 billion, while others in the campaign team wanted to delay bringing out that figure.[The figure was equivalent to that of Mr. Sarkozy's but higher than Mr. Bayrou's, who was becoming a key figure in the race.][9] This led to an unusually bitter fall-out, and Mr Besson writing a book titled Qui connaît Madame Royal ? (Who knows Mrs Royal?), published on March 20. In it, Besson accuses Royal of being a populist, an authoritarian and a luddite and says that he will not vote for her and hopes that she is not elected.[10] He then went on to join the Sarkozy campaign and was rewarded with a junior position in the next government on 18 May 2007.

Following the first round of the presidential election, she faced Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round of voting on 6 May in a two-way runoff. In the final round of voting on Sunday, 6 May, her opponent Nicolas Sarkozy won the presidency with 53% of the vote.[2] Royal conceded defeat and wished Sarkozy the best, requesting he keep her supporters in mind.

Royal later revealed she had offered defeated centrist candidate, Francois Bayrou, the premership should she be elected. [11]

2008 Socialist Party leadership election

Main article: Reims Congress

Ségolène Royal entered the leadership election of the Socialist Party to replace her former common law husband Francois Hollande as head of the party. She garnered the largest plurality of votes in the first round of voting, but not enough to win outright; she was eventually narrowly defeated in the second round by rival Martine Aubry by the margin of 42 votes.[12] After a vote recount, Aubry was declared the winner, with the margin widening to 102 votes.[13] Royal has announced her intentions to contest the result. Royal has blamed party leaders and her former partner for her loss in the 2007 election.[14]

2012 Presidential Election

Royal is considered likely to seek a rematch with incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012. According to a May 2008 opinion poll, 33% of French centre-left supporters consider her to be the best choice in the 2012 Presidential Election.[15] Another poll from May 2008 showed that if French voters could vote again, they would elect Royal by 53% compared to Sarkozy with 47%. [16]

Rumours over personal issues

Ségolène Royal and François Hollande at a rally for the parliamentary election, 29 May 2007

In January 2007 a persistent rumour circulated on the Internet that Royal and Hollande avoided paying solidarity tax on wealth by having their three properties owned by a private real estate company. (This came soon after a tax-dodging controversy about singer and tax exile Johnny Hallyday, whom Royal and others criticised.)[17] After UMP deputy Jacques Godfrain relayed the accusations, Royal and Hollande disclosed the exact state of their wealth, and showed that they do indeed pay the tax. Except for Mr. Sarkozy, other major candidates followed suit, and Hollande announced that he was suing Godfrain and a newspaper over the allegations.[18]

On 18 January 2007 Royal suspended her spokesman Arnaud Montebourg for a month, after he quipped on a television show that "Ségolène Royal has only one flaw: her partner".[19] This came amidst speculation of a growing rift between Royal and Hollande. In June 2007, she announced their separation.

Since the separation, political relations between Royal and Hollande have been tense, though they have both stated that they remain friends. In the 2008 Socialist Party leadership election, Hollande backed another candidate, and Royal has blamed him and the party establishment for her 2007 Presidential defeat.[20] Hollande, who had led an affair with a magazine journalist up until the separation, tried to go back to Royal, who refused his offers. [21]

Policies

Royal has been widely criticized for being stronger on rhetoric than policies, and being part of a trend in French politics to focus on the personality and lifestyles of politicians rather than their ideas. When in August 2006, a paparazzo took a photo of her wearing a bikini, she refrained from suing as was her right under French privacy laws.[22] For the recent campaign for the Presidential nomination she changed from wearing dull clothing to stylish suits and reportedly had work done on her teeth.[23]

She has also tended to campaign on family and other socially-oriented issues, rather than on economic or foreign policy issues. For instance, she has mounted campaigns against the exposure of children to violent television shows, including cartoons (see her 1989 book, listed below, Le Ras-le-bol des bébés zappeurs, roughly translated as "The Channel-Surfing Kids Are Fed Up"), and more generally has taken a stand on several issues regarding family values and the protection of children.

Economics

Royal stated as part of her 100-point platform that if elected, she would raise the lowest state pensions by five percent, increase the monthly minimum wage to €1,500 ($2,250), raise benefits of handicapped citizens, implement state-paid rental deposits for the poorest citizens, and guarantee a job or job training to every student within six months of graduation. She pledged to abolish a flexible work contract for small companies. She pledged free contraception for all young women and a €10,000 interest-free loan for all young people.[24] She did not directly address whether additional taxes would need to be raised to fund these programs, stating that they can be paid for by cutting waste in government.[25]

Environment

During her tenure as Minister for the Environment, 1992-1993, Royal campaigned actively and successfully for the "Law on the treatment and recycling of refuse" (La loi sur le traitement et le recyclage des déchets), the "Law to preserve the countryside" (La loi sur la reconquête des paysages), a "Save our countrysides, savour their products" campaign to provide proper labelling for the products of 100 local areas (opération «Sauvons nos paysages, savourons leurs produits»), and the "Law against noise pollution" (La loi de lutte contre le bruit). She provided compensation for people adversely affected by airport noise.[26]

Education

During her tenure as Minister-delegate for the Family, Children, and the Handicapped, 2000-2002,[26] Royal was active in the re-launch of the Priority Education Zones program (ZEP / zone d'éducation prioritaire), the creation of a government student lunch program, the implementation of language instruction as a priority in primary schools, the creation of a national home-tutoring program, Heures de Soutien Scolaire,[27] and the creation of programs for parental involvement in schools, "la Semaine des parents à l'école", and national campaigns for the elections of parent-representatives. She also campaigned for the creation of local education and citizenship education contracts, the "Initiatives citoyennes" program for teaching children how to live together, the law on "Defense of children's rights and campaign against violence in the schools" (Loi de juin 1998 relative à la prévention et à la répression des infractions sexuelles ainsi qu'à la protection des mineurs), the "Campaign against hazing rituals in higher education" (Loi de juin 1998 contre le bizutage), the "Campaign against violence and racketeering" which included implementation of the "SOS Violence" telephone number, and the implementation of mandatory civics instruction in secondary schools.

In January 2006, she criticized secondary school teachers (workers of state public service) who give private lessons outside school hours, saying that they should spend more time in school. When a bootleg video of the speech surfaced on the Internet in November 2006, the teacher's union SNES rebuffed her, requesting that she renounce her proposal.[28]

Family and social affairs

Ségolène Royal speaking to a crowd in Nantes

In 1989, Ségolène Royal authored a book called The Channel-Surfing Kids Are Fed-Up[29], where she criticized Japanese animation (then dominant in certain TV programs) as poor quality production detrimental for children.

Royal favours, and has worked for, the "Parental rights and obligations act" (Loi sur l'autorité parentale), the "Women's rights reform and anonymous childbirth act" (l'accouchement sous X),[30] the creation of paternity leave, the creation of 40,000 new spaces in French nursery schools, and Social housing reform.[31] She has been active in campaigns providing for "Parental time-off provisions and financial support for child illness care",[31] Special education support (parents d'enfants handicapés), "Benefit allocations for students starting the new school year" (Allocation de rentrée scolaire), and the "Prostitution of Minors Act" (Loi contre la prostitution des mineurs) which provides penal measures for clients. Royal has supported the "Law against child pornography", the creation of the association "Childhood and the Media" (Enfance et média) against violence in the media, the creation of the Plan Handiscole for the education of handicapped children and adolescents and their integration into life at school, programs for mass and individual transportation, and the creation of the program "Tourism and the Handicapped" (Tourisme et handicap).[32]

Women's issues

When she accepted her nomination as the Socialist presidential candidate, Royal said, "There is a strong correlation between the status of a woman and the state of justice or injustice in a country." According to an article in Ms. magazine, French women currently earn 80% of a male counterpart's salary. [33]

Television issues

Royal has been a long-standing critic of violence on television. She has voiced opinions in the past linking youth crime to exposure to pornography and television violence.

She also described the M6 programme Loft Story, imitating the internationally popular Big Brother TV series, as contrary to principles of human dignity and risking transforming viewers into voyeurs instead of providing quality programming.[34]

LGBT issues

In 2000 Royal, as the then Minister of the Family and Children spoke out against anti-gay bullying in schools, saying,

“ School must be a place of tolerance, of welcome. Too many young people face teasing, social exclusion because of their sexual orientation… Some consider drugs, suicide attempts. It is time to stand up to this hostility shown towards homosexuality. ”

A law passed in February 2002, introduced by Royal on behalf of the Jospin government, allows some parental authority to be granted to same-sex partners. The law amended Article 377 of the Civil Code in allowing a parent to ask a judge to share his/her parental authority with a partner. Article 377-1, added by the law, ensures that "delegation may provide, for the needs of education of a child, that the father and mother, or one of them, shall share all or part of the exercise of parental authority with the third person delegatee" [1].

In a June 2006 interview with LGBT publication Têtu, Royal said "opening up marriage to same-sex couples is needed in the name of equality, visibility and respect" and said that if her party formed the next government she would introduce a bill to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption.[35]

Prison reform

Royal has advocated a policy of more humane prisons and supports creating better conditions inside penal institutions. She also supports a system of rehabilitating offenders and reintegrating them into society.[36]

Foreign policy

Foreign affairs are one of the key responsibilities of the French President. She initially appeared to have few opinions on key subjects, such as the accession of Turkey to the European Union, merely responding, "my opinion is that of the French people."[23] On another crucial issue the subject of the Iranian nuclear program, Royal also appeared insufficiently briefed. She initially took a very hard line in a televised debate, contending that any nuclear power programme in Iran must be prevented since it would inevitably lead to weapons production. When she was criticised by French politicians for not understanding the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – which gives signatories the right to nuclear power for non-military purposes – Royal softened her position and, through a spokesman, said that a civil nuclear program should be allowed as long as United Nations inspectors were permitted to conduct spot checks.[37]

International tours

Since December 2006 Royal has been travelling abroad extensively in order to enhance her international profile and credibility, but her efforts have been set back by a series of blunders, which her political opponents at UMP have been quick to jump on.

Middle East

In early December 2006 controversy followed a brief tour of the Middle East. Meeting Hezbollah politician Ali Ammar, she took exception to his use of the euphemism "Zionist entity," but did not take issue with his comparison of the Palestinian territories to the France under German occupation during World War II. This attracted criticism in France and in Israel which Royal visited next. However, the French ambassador to Lebanon, Bernard Emié, backed her explanation that she did not hear "the offending remarks" - the discussion took place via an interpreter supplied by the Lebanese parliament.[38] In the same visit, Royal thanked the minister for being so "frank" when he described US foreign policy in the Middle East as "unlimited American insanity."[39]

China

Royal visited China in January 2007; after speaking with a lawyer in that country she noted to the press that he had pointed out to her that the Chinese legal system was "faster" than the French one. She was immediately reminded by her opponents at home that the Chinese system orders 10,000 executions each year, and that defence lawyers there must be authorized by the Communist Party. In reality, she was defending commercial justice speed.[40] She however brought up with her hosts the fate of three Chinese journalists recently imprisoned, and criticised the meekness of French entrepreneurs in tackling new markets such as China. Royal was criticised by French and international media by what was called 'mangling the French language' in a soundbite delivered on the Great Wall of China.[41] She used the word bravitude instead of the word bravoure, which means bravery.

Canada: Support for the Quebec independence movement

In January 2007, during a meeting with Quebec opposition leader and Parti Québécois head André Boisclair, she stirred up more controversy by declaring her support for the Quebec sovereignty movement in its aim to secede from Canada. Royal said Quebec and France share common values, including "sovereignty and Quebec's freedom."[42][43] Soon after, Royal took a phone call from comedian Gérald Dahan pretending to be Quebec Premier Jean Charest, and was tricked into making a quip about Corsica's independence: "Not all French people would be opposed." She then added, "But don't repeat that or we'll have another scandal on our hands." [44][45]

On Afghanistan

On 5 April 2007, when commenting on the kidnapping of two Frenchmen by the Taliban in Afghanistan, Royal called for sanctions to be imposed by the United Nations against regimes like the Taliban. This comment was widely interpreted as indicating that Royal did not understand that the Taliban no longer formed the Afghan government [46], though she claims that she simply intended to highlight that regime as an example of modern repression.

Harvard University: Ségolène Royal supports independence for Puerto Rico

On February 7, 2008, Ségolène Royal visited Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. There she gave a conference on "Reforming the Left in France to Reform the French Economy". After finishing her allocution, the forum was open to public questions. The first question asked Ségolène Royal to respond whether she supports independence for Puerto Rico as does the Socialist International, to which her political party is affiliated.[47] '

Ségolène Royal replied that she supports independence for Puerto Rico from the United States as long as that is the position of the Socialist International.[48]

Personal life

Ségolène Royal, 02/01/2006

From the late 1970s, Ségolène Royal was the private-life partner of François Hollande, currently head of the French Socialist Party, whom she met at ENA. The couple had four children: law student Thomas (b. 1984), Clémence (b. 1985), Julien (b. 1987) and Flora (b. 1993). They were neither married nor bounded by a PACS (pacte civil de solidarité, which provides for a civil union between two adults, regardless of gender), contrary to the rumors[49]. A news agency leaked news of their separation in June 2007, on the evening of the legislative election.[50] According to the Guardian, she had asked Hollande "to move out of the house" and pursue his new love interest "which has been detailed in books and newspapers" -- a reference to a much-discussed chapter by journalists explaining how Hollande was having a long-term affair with a journalist.[51]

Royal's eldest child, Thomas Hollande, served as an adviser to her during her presidential candidacy, working on a website designed to appeal to young voters.[52]

Her brother Antoine named his and Ségolène's brother Gérard Royal as the agent who placed the bomb that sank the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior.[53] [54] But other sources claim that this statement is exaggerated and that Gérard was part of the logistics team.[55]

Royal's cousin Anne-Christine Royal followed the paternal side of the family and has been a candidate of the far-right Front National party at a local election in Bordeaux.[56]

Bibliography

Royal is the author unless otherwise noted.

References

  1. ↑ Paris-Match condamné pour des photos de Ségolène Royal dans une église
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Sarkozy Wins in France and Vows Break With Past", The New York Times (2007-05-07). Retrieved on 2007-05-07. 
  3. ↑ Lichfield, John (12 December 2006). "When Ségolène came to stay". The Independent. Retrieved on 2006-12-16.
  4. ↑ Karlin, Elise (11 November 2006). "La jeunesse cachée de Ségolène Royal". L'Express. Retrieved on 2006-11-21.(French)
  5. ↑ Chrisafis, Angelique (18 November 2006). "Ségo returns to her 'political laboratory' to savour victory". The Guardian. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  6. ↑ Basravi, Zein (16 April 2007). "Segolene Royal: First female presidential candidate". CNN. Retrieved on 2006-12-18.
  7. ↑ Peiffer, Valérie. "Biographie : Ségolène Royal". Le Point. Retrieved on 2006-12-18. (French)
  8. ↑ "Ségolène Royal «Que le meilleur gagne»". Paris Match (22 September 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-18.(French)
  9. ↑ "New blow for Royal as top adviser quits", Financial Times (2007-02-16). 
  10. ↑ "Diatribe d'un déçu de "Madame Royal"" (in French), Le Monde (2007-03-16). Retrieved on 2007-03-17. 
  11. ↑ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2994782.ece
  12. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7741015.stm
  13. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7748916.stm
  14. ↑ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2994782.ece
  15. ↑ French Assess Options in 2012 Election: Angus Reid Global Monitor
  16. ↑ A Year Later, France Would Choose Royal: Angus Reid Global Monitor
  17. ↑ "Royal is accused of dodging tax on her wealth", Daily Telegraph (2007-01-18). 
  18. ↑ Kerviel, Sylvie: "La blogosphère envenime la campagne", Le Monde (21-22 January 2007) p. 17.(French)
  19. ↑ "Royal suspends a campaign spokesman", International Herald Tribune]] (2007-01-18). 
  20. ↑ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2994782.ece
  21. ↑ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2994782.ece
  22. ↑ Schofield, Hugh (10 August 2006). "French politics takes popular plunge". BBC. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Associated Press (16 November 2006). "Ségolène Royal: The 'gazelle' of French politics bolts ahead of the pack", International Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 2006-11-18. 
  24. ↑ "Ségolène Royal unveils far-left economic campaign platform". International Herald Tribune (February 11, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  25. ↑ "Ségolène's New Tack: a Hard Left". TIME (February 12, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Qui est Ségolène Royal?". Régionales 2004. Socialist Party. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.(French)
  27. ↑ "L'annuaire de Soutien Scolaire". Jeunesplus. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.(French)
  28. ↑ "Le SNES demande à Ségolène Royal de "renoncer" à ses propositions sur le temps de travail des enseignants". Yahoo! (13 November 2006). Retrieved on 2007-01-03.(French)
  29. ↑ Ségolène Royal, Le ras-le-bol des bébés zappeurs, Robert Laffont, 1989, ISBN 2221058267
  30. ↑ "Réforme de l’accouchement sous X et la création du Conseil national pour l’accès aux origines personnelles". Ministry of the Family and Children (14 December 2000). Retrieved on 2006-11-18.(French)
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Bilan et perspective des actions en faveur des familles et de l’enfance". Ministry of the Family and Children (11 January 2001). Retrieved on 2006-11-18.(French)
  32. ↑ "Le label national Tourisme et Handicap". Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.(French)
  33. ↑ Wachter, Sarah J. "Battle Royal: A French woman compaigns to be Mme. la Presidente." Ms. magazine. Spring 2007. pp 24-26.
  34. ↑ "Ségolène Royal, a woman who always took courageous decisions". PS Sciences Po. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.(French)
  35. ↑ "French Presidential Contender Calls For Gay Marriage". 365Gay.com 2006 (20 June 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
  36. ↑ http://www.segoleneroyal2007.net/article-5274293.html
  37. ↑ Arnold, Martin (9 November 2006). "Royal criticised for hard line on Iran's nuclear ambitions", Financial Times. Retrieved on 2006-11-18. 
  38. ↑ Lichfield, John (4 December 2006). "Royal's first foreign tour blighted by blunders". The Independent. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
  39. ↑ McNamara, Sally (23 February 2007). "Ségolène Royal and the Future of Franco–American Relations". Heritage Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
  40. ↑ "L'éloge de la justice chinoise par Royal fait des vagues" (in French), Le Figaro (2007-01-11). Retrieved on 2007-01-14. 
  41. ↑ Ganley, Elaine (8 January 2007). "French Candidate Bashed for 'Bravitude'". The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
  42. ↑ Canadian Press (22 January 2007). "Harper takes Segolene Royal to task for her comments on Quebec sovereignty", Canada.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-22. 
  43. ↑ Michel Dolbec (22 January 2007). "Canadian politicians rap Segolene Royal for comments on Quebec sovereignty", Canada.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-22. 
  44. ↑ "Royal caught out by hoax caller" (in English), BBC News (2007-01-28). Retrieved on 2007-02-05. 
  45. ↑ "Royal's campaign wobbles on gaffes and dirty tricks" (in English), The Independent (2007-01-29). Retrieved on 2007-02-05. 
  46. ↑ >"No defining campaign issue for Sarkozy, Royal and others" (in English), International Herald Tribune (2007-04-10). Retrieved on 2007-02-24. 
  47. ↑ "Reforming the Left, Reforming the French Economy" (in English & French), John F. Kennedy School of Government - Institute of Politics (IOP) (2007-02-08). Retrieved on 2008-02-07. 
  48. ↑ "Reforming the Left, Reforming the French Economy" (in English & French), John F. Kennedy School of Government - Institute of Politics (IOP) (2007-02-08). Retrieved on 2008-02-07. 
  49. ↑ Les secrets de Ségolène Royal François et elle : un couple en équilibre
  50. ↑ "Ségolène Royal et François Hollande se sont séparés". Le Figaro (17 June 2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-17.
  51. ↑ For Royal and Hollande, the party's over
  52. ↑ "A family campaign in France". BBC News (1 May 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
  53. ↑ ""Presidential hopeful's brother linked to Rainbow Warrior bomb"". New Zealand Herald (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-10-01.
  54. ↑ "NZ rules out new Rainbow Warrior probe". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2006-10-01). Retrieved on 2006-10-01.
  55. ↑ Guerres secrètes à l'Élysée, by Paul Barril, ed Albin Michel, Paris (1996)
  56. ↑ "La cousine de Ségolène candidate FN". Le Nouvel Observateur (21 September 2006). Retrieved on 2007-03-14.

External links

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Alsace: Adrien Zeller (UMP)
Aquitaine: Alain Rousset (PS)
Auvergne: René Souchon (PS)
Basse-Normandie: Laurent Beauvais (PS)
Bourgogne: François Patriat (PS)
Bretagne: Jean-Yves Le Drian (PS)
Centre: Michel Sapin (PS)
Champagne-Ardenne: Jean-Paul Bachy (PS)
Corsica: Camille de Rocca Serra (UMP)
Franche-Comté: Raymond Forni (PS)

French Guiana: Antoine Karam (PSG)
Guadeloupe: Victorin Lurel (PS)
Île-de-France: Jean-Paul Huchon (PS)
Haute-Normandie: Alain Le Vern (PS)
Languedoc-Roussillon: Georges Frêche (ex-PS)
Limousin: Jean-Paul Denanot (PS)
Lorraine: Jean-Pierre Masseret (PS)
Martinique: Alfred Marie-Jeanne (MIM)
Midi-Pyrénées: Martin Malvy (PS)
Nord-Pas de Calais: Daniel Percheron (PS)

PACA: Michel Vauzelle (PS)
Pays de la Loire: Jacques Auxiette (PS)
Picardie: Claude Gewerc (PS)
Poitou-Charentes: Ségolène Royal (PS)
Réunion: Paul Vergès (PCR)
Rhône-Alpes: Jean-Jack Queyranne (PS)
Flag of France Candidates in the 2007 French presidential election
Winner
Lost in runoff
Ségolène Royal
Other candidates
François Bayrou · Olivier Besancenot · José Bové · Marie-George Buffet · Arlette Laguiller · Frédéric Nihous · Jean-Marie Le Pen · Gérard Schivardi · Philippe de Villiers · Dominique Voynet