Segolene Royal

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2 Countries Got Into a Fight Over ... Nutella

French minister accused spread of ravaging environment

(Newser) - France's environment minister caused an international brouhaha by picking on the wrong nutty spread. Segolene Royal singled out Nutella as the cause of environmental destruction, including climate change and "massive deforestation," and said people should stop eating it because it contains palm oil, the Guardian reports, prompting...

As Affair Leaks, French Leader Demands His Privacy

Francoise Hollande photographed leaving home of actress

(Newser) - French President Francoise Hollande gives an important speech on Tuesday in which he's supposed to lay out his economic vision, but he just got a very unwanted distraction. The French magazine Closer revealed yesterday that the 59-year-old was having an affair with 41-year-old actress Julie Gayet, reports the BBC...

Socialists Secure Majority in France

Strong showing leaves Francois Hollande free to implement policy

(Newser) - As predicted , the left coalition led by the Socialist Party has cruised to a majority win in the National Assembly's lower house, taking 314 of 577 seats, reports the Wall Street Journal . The win gives the Socialists, who already control the upper-house Senate, total control of the National Assembly—...

Michel Rocard: Dominique Strauss-Kahn Is Mentally Ill
 Former PM: DSK 'Mentally Ill' 
Aug 31, 2011 6:59 AM CDT

Former PM: DSK 'Mentally Ill'

Michel Rocard writes off fellow Socialist's political career

(Newser) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been handed back his passport , bid farewell to the IMF , and, according to Socialist Party leader Martine Aubrey, will soon be returning to France—where controversy awaits. Michel Rocard, France's prime minister from 1988 to 1991, has told a French TV station that DSK's repeated...

'French Eminem' Ignites Censorship Fight

Canceled concerts fuel national censorship debate

(Newser) - A rapper slammed for backing violence against women has sparked a censorship debate that’s reached the upper levels of France’s government, the BBC reports. OrelSan, the “French Eminem,” was dropped from a music festival after former presidential candidate Segolene Royal warned she might pull public funding....

British Execs Released After Latest French 'Bossnapping'

(Newser) - In the latest demonstration of French employees refusing to take job losses sitting down, workers at a glue factory took 3 British execs and their French manager hostage last night, and released them today, the BBC reports. The “bossnappers” demanded a renegotiation of their severance package from Scapa, which...

Aubry Will Lead French Socialist Party After Vote

Rival Royal refuses to accept outcome of contentious recount

(Newser) - Martine Aubry has edged out rival Ségolène Royal to become the leader of France’s Socialist Party, the BBC reports. A recount of last week’s vote, requested by Royal, actually widened Aubry’s winning margin. Royal, the party’s presidential candidate last year, said she would not...

Royal Ahead as French Left Picks Leader

Defeated presidential candidate goes into runoff with big lead

(Newser) - Ségolène Royal has emerged as the strongest candidate to take over France's Socialist Party as a bitter leadership contest goes to a runoff today, Reuters reports. Royal, defeated by Nicolas Sarkozy in last year's presidential race, will face Martine Aubry, the mayor of Lille who as a minister...

Sarko Loses Bid to Block Voodoo Doll

French court rules presidential pincushion falls within the limits of humor

(Newser) - A French judge apparently finds Nicolas Sarkozy voodoo dolls funnier than the president does. The court threw out Sarkozy's Iawsuit against the maker of the dolls, the BBC reports, deciding it hadn't breached limits of "free expression and the right to humor." Sales of the presidential pincushion, which...

Sarkozy Battles Voodoo Curse
 Sarkozy Battles Voodoo Curse 
Oct 22, 2008 2:13 AM CDT

Sarkozy Battles Voodoo Curse

French prez vows to sue if makers don't take doll off the shelves

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is demanding that a voodoo doll in his image be withdrawn from bookstores, the Daily Telegraph reports. The fuming Sarko has threatened a lawsuit if the French distributor does not comply. Some 20,000 of the dolls, which comes with pins and a voodoo guide, have...

Gay Paris Mayor Sets Sights on Presidency

Delanoë, ahead in opposition polls, says France is ready

(Newser) - The battle is on for the leadership of France's opposition Socialist Party, and a man who says the nation is ready for a gay president is the surprise leader, the Telegraph reports. Bertrand Delanoë, the popular mayor of Paris, is the early favorite, outpolling Ségolène Royal, who lost...

Ségolène Royal Blasts Ex-Lover in New Book

French prez candidate blames her party for her election loss

(Newser) - A new book by Ségolène Royal hits stores in France today, writes the Times of London, and the unsuccessful presidential candidate apologizes for nothing in a fierce, at times vengeful 330 pages. Royal directs much of the blame for her defeat at her own Socialist party and particularly...

MPs Give Sarko a 140% Raise
MPs Give Sarko a 140% Raise
Oct 31, 2007 8:23 AM CDT

MPs Give Sarko a 140% Raise

One part of the public sector that won't be trimmed: president now makes $346K

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy got a 140% pay raise yesterday, thanks to his party, which enjoys an absolute majority in France's National Assembly. The president's salary—which previous heads of state have bolstered by commandeering operating cash—went up to $346,000, the same as the prime minister's. Opposition politicians called the...

Royal, Now Solo, Comes Back to Politics

Defeated candidate forgives her ex but goes after his job

(Newser) - Defeated for the French presidency and newly single, Ségolène Royal is relaunching her political career with a tell-all in one of the country's mass-market celebrity mags. And not just any celebrity mag: She's on the cover of Paris Match, employer of the other woman in her relationship with...

Royal and Hollande Part Ways
Royal and Hollande Part Ways
Jun 18, 2007 9:09 PM CDT

Royal and Hollande Part Ways

Socialist candidate tosses out partner over affair, plans to pursue his job

(Newser) - Segolene Royal, the glamorous Socialist candidate who made a failed run at the French presidency, announced today that she's splitting with her partner of 28 years and the father of her four children, Francois Hollande. The cause of the rift, which has been rumored for months: his "love story"...

Sarko, Ségo Shake Things Up
Sarko, Ségo Shake Things Up
May 31, 2007 12:33 PM CDT

Sarko, Ségo Shake Things Up

William Pfaff on how the French election knocked the country out of its doldrums

(Newser) - France has been gripped by a serious case of political stagnation, and the recent election between two bright young things—Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal—has smashed it out of its stupor, William Pfaff reflects in the New York Review of Books.

Sarko Takes French Presidency
Sarko Takes French Presidency
May 6, 2007 1:41 PM CDT

Sarko Takes French Presidency

(Newser) - Nicholas Sarkozy, a right-leaning Hungarian immigrant's son, will be the next president of France, according to initial results from the final round of elections there. Sarkozy's victory within an 85% turnout dashed the hopes of a galvanized Socialist Party, and its candidate Ségolène Royal, of placing the first...

Royal Slams Sarkozy in French Debate

Socialist assails conservative for 'law and order' failures

(Newser) - Socialist candidate Ségolene Royal scored points for passion and toughness, and conservative Nicolas Sarkozy for policy brilliance in the French presidential debate last night. Commentators said Royal, who was trailing in opinion polls, helped close the gap by seizing the offensive, turning the tables on the notoriously combative Sarkozy....

French Winners Woo Centrist
French Winners
Woo Centrist
Apr 24, 2007 5:45 PM CDT

French Winners Woo Centrist

With 7 million supporters, Francois Bayrou is courted by left and right

(Newser) - Defeated presidential candidate Francois Bayrou is now the most wanted man in France, as Sarko and Ségo compete to woo his seven million voters. Socialist Ségolène Royal has appealed directly to Bayrou to form an alliance, while right-wing Nicolas Sarkozy is rebranding himself as a centrist-friendly “...

Sarkozy, Royal in French Runoff
Sarkozy, Royal in French Runoff
Apr 22, 2007 3:03 PM CDT

Sarkozy, Royal in French Runoff

(Newser) - Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal won the first round of voting today to succeed French president Jacques Chirac, CNN reports. Based on vote counts from hundreds of polling stations, Sarkozy drew 30.46% of the votes, and Royal  24.41%. They will face each other in a runoff...

20 Stories