Marie-Ségolène Royal (born September 22, 1953 in Dakar, French West Africa, now Senegal) is a French politician. She is the president of the Poitou-Charentes region, a member of the National Assembly and a prominent member of the Socialist Party in France. She was the Socialist Party's candidate for the 2007 French presidential election but lost to Nicolas Sarkozy. She was the partner of former President of France François Hollande from 1978 until 2007.