diff --git a/Lib/configparser.py b/Lib/configparser.py
index 9cbff70..03f98a6 100644
--- a/Lib/configparser.py
+++ b/Lib/configparser.py
@@ -406,12 +406,13 @@
     def __init__(self, defaults=None, dict_type=_default_dict,
                  allow_no_value=False, *, delimiters=('=', ':'),
                  comment_prefixes=_COMPATIBLE, strict=False,
-                 empty_lines_in_values=True):
+                 empty_lines_in_values=True,
+                 default_section=DEFAULTSECT):
         self._dict = dict_type
         self._sections = self._dict()
         self._defaults = self._dict()
         self._proxies = self._dict()
-        self._proxies[DEFAULTSECT] = SectionProxy(self, DEFAULTSECT)
+        self._proxies[default_section] = SectionProxy(self, default_section)
         if defaults:
             for key, value in defaults.items():
                 self._defaults[self.optionxform(key)] = value
@@ -435,6 +436,7 @@
         self._strict = strict
         self._allow_no_value = allow_no_value
         self._empty_lines_in_values = empty_lines_in_values
+        self._default_section=default_section
 
     def defaults(self):
         return self._defaults
@@ -448,10 +450,9 @@
         """Create a new section in the configuration.
 
         Raise DuplicateSectionError if a section by the specified name
-        already exists. Raise ValueError if name is DEFAULT or any of it's
-        case-insensitive variants.
+        already exists. Raise ValueError if name is DEFAULT.
         """
-        if section.upper() == DEFAULTSECT:
+        if section == self._default_section:
             raise ValueError('Invalid section name: %s' % section)
 
         if section in self._sections:
@@ -587,7 +588,7 @@
         try:
             d2 = self._sections[section]
         except KeyError:
-            if section != DEFAULTSECT:
+            if section != self._default_section:
                 raise NoSectionError(section)
             d2 = self._dict()
         d = self._defaults.copy()
@@ -632,7 +633,7 @@
 
     def has_option(self, section, option):
         """Check for the existence of a given option in a given section."""
-        if not section or section == DEFAULTSECT:
+        if not section or section == self._default_section:
             option = self.optionxform(option)
             return option in self._defaults
         elif section not in self._sections:
@@ -644,7 +645,7 @@
 
     def set(self, section, option, value=None):
         """Set an option."""
-        if not section or section == DEFAULTSECT:
+        if not section or section == self._default_section:
             sectdict = self._defaults
         else:
             try:
@@ -664,7 +665,8 @@
         else:
             d = self._delimiters[0]
         if self._defaults:
-            self._write_section(fp, DEFAULTSECT, self._defaults.items(), d)
+            self._write_section(fp, self._default_section,
+                                    self._defaults.items(), d)
         for section in self._sections:
             self._write_section(fp, section,
                                 self._sections[section].items(), d)
@@ -684,7 +686,7 @@
 
     def remove_option(self, section, option):
         """Remove an option."""
-        if not section or section == DEFAULTSECT:
+        if not section or section == self._default_section:
             sectdict = self._defaults
         else:
             try:
@@ -706,7 +708,7 @@
         return existed
 
     def __getitem__(self, key):
-        if key != DEFAULTSECT and not self.has_section(key):
+        if key != self._default_section and not self.has_section(key):
             raise KeyError(key)
         return self._proxies[key]
 
@@ -720,21 +722,21 @@
         self.read_dict({key: value})
 
     def __delitem__(self, key):
-        if key == DEFAULTSECT:
+        if key == self._default_section:
             raise ValueError("Cannot remove the default section.")
         if not self.has_section(key):
             raise KeyError(key)
         self.remove_section(key)
 
     def __contains__(self, key):
-        return key == DEFAULTSECT or self.has_section(key)
+        return key == self._default_section or self.has_section(key)
 
     def __len__(self):
         return len(self._sections) + 1 # the default section
 
     def __iter__(self):
         # XXX does it break when underlying container state changed?
-        return itertools.chain((DEFAULTSECT,), self._sections.keys())
+        return itertools.chain((self._default_section,), self._sections.keys())
 
     def _read(self, fp, fpname):
         """Parse a sectioned configuration file.
@@ -806,7 +808,7 @@
                                                         lineno)
                         cursect = self._sections[sectname]
                         elements_added.add(sectname)
-                    elif sectname == DEFAULTSECT:
+                    elif sectname == self._default_section:
                         cursect = self._defaults
                     else:
                         cursect = self._dict()
@@ -877,7 +879,7 @@
         try:
             d.update(self._sections[section])
         except KeyError:
-            if section != DEFAULTSECT:
+            if section != self._default_section:
                 raise NoSectionError(section)
         # Update with the entry specific variables
         if vars:
@@ -999,7 +1001,7 @@
         try:
             d.update(self._sections[section])
         except KeyError:
-            if section != DEFAULTSECT:
+            if section != self._default_section:
                 raise NoSectionError(section)
         # Update with the entry specific variables
         if vars:
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_cfgparser.py b/Lib/test/test_cfgparser.py
index 11aa267..efa1233 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_cfgparser.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_cfgparser.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
     empty_lines_in_values = True
     dict_type = configparser._default_dict
     strict = False
+    default_section = configparser.DEFAULTSECT
 
     def newconfig(self, defaults=None):
         arguments = dict(
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@
             empty_lines_in_values=self.empty_lines_in_values,
             dict_type=self.dict_type,
             strict=self.strict,
+            default_section=self.default_section,
         )
         return self.config_class(**arguments)
 
@@ -76,7 +78,7 @@
         # mapping access
         L = [section for section in cf]
         L.sort()
-        E.append(configparser.DEFAULTSECT)
+        E.append(self.default_section)
         E.sort()
         eq(L, E)
 
@@ -365,7 +367,7 @@
         L.sort()
         eq = self.assertEqual
         elem_eq = self.assertItemsEqual
-        eq(L, ["A", "B", configparser.DEFAULTSECT, "a"])
+        eq(L, sorted(["A", "B", self.default_section, "a"]))
         eq(cf["a"].keys(), {"b"})
         eq(cf["a"]["b"], "value",
            "could not locate option, expecting case-insensitive option names")
@@ -399,11 +401,11 @@
     def test_default_case_sensitivity(self):
         cf = self.newconfig({"foo": "Bar"})
         self.assertEqual(
-            cf.get("DEFAULT", "Foo"), "Bar",
+            cf.get(self.default_section, "Foo"), "Bar",
             "could not locate option, expecting case-insensitive option names")
         cf = self.newconfig({"Foo": "Bar"})
         self.assertEqual(
-            cf.get("DEFAULT", "Foo"), "Bar",
+            cf.get(self.default_section, "Foo"), "Bar",
             "could not locate option, expecting case-insensitive defaults")
 
     def test_parse_errors(self):
@@ -530,7 +532,7 @@
             "[Long Line]\n"
             "foo{0[0]} this line is much, much longer than my editor\n"
             "   likes it.\n"
-            "[DEFAULT]\n"
+            "[{default_section}]\n"
             "foo{0[1]} another very\n"
             " long line\n"
             "[Long Line - With Comments!]\n"
@@ -538,7 +540,8 @@
             "            also      {comment} place\n"
             "            comments  {comment} in\n"
             "            multiline {comment} values"
-            "\n".format(self.delimiters, comment=self.comment_prefixes[0])
+            "\n".format(self.delimiters, comment=self.comment_prefixes[0],
+                        default_section=self.default_section)
             )
         if self.allow_no_value:
             config_string += (
@@ -550,7 +553,7 @@
         output = io.StringIO()
         cf.write(output)
         expect_string = (
-            "[DEFAULT]\n"
+            "[{default_section}]\n"
             "foo {equals} another very\n"
             "\tlong line\n"
             "\n"
@@ -563,7 +566,8 @@
             "\talso\n"
             "\tcomments\n"
             "\tmultiline\n"
-            "\n".format(equals=self.delimiters[0])
+            "\n".format(equals=self.delimiters[0],
+                        default_section=self.default_section)
             )
         if self.allow_no_value:
             expect_string += (
@@ -724,6 +728,9 @@
     delimiters = (':=', '$')
     comment_prefixes = ('//', '"')
 
+class ConfigParserTestCaseNonStandardDefaultSection(ConfigParserTestCase):
+    default_section = 'general'
+
 class MultilineValuesTestCase(BasicTestCase):
     config_class = configparser.ConfigParser
     wonderful_spam = ("I'm having spam spam spam spam "
@@ -851,13 +858,9 @@
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, cf.set, "sect", "option2", 1.0)
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, cf.set, "sect", "option2", object())
 
-    def test_add_section_default_1(self):
+    def test_add_section_default(self):
         cf = self.newconfig()
-        self.assertRaises(ValueError, cf.add_section, "default")
-
-    def test_add_section_default_2(self):
-        cf = self.newconfig()
-        self.assertRaises(ValueError, cf.add_section, "DEFAULT")
+        self.assertRaises(ValueError, cf.add_section, self.default_section)
 
 class SafeConfigParserTestCaseNonStandardDelimiters(SafeConfigParserTestCase):
     delimiters = (':=', '$')
@@ -884,11 +887,12 @@
                                          'no values here',
                                          'tricky interpolation',
                                          'more interpolation'])
-        self.assertEqual(cf.getint('DEFAULT', 'go',
+        self.assertEqual(cf.getint(self.default_section, 'go',
                                    vars={'interpolate': '-1'}), -1)
         with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
             # no interpolation will happen
-            cf.getint('DEFAULT', 'go', raw=True, vars={'interpolate': '-1'})
+            cf.getint(self.default_section, 'go', raw=True,
+                      vars={'interpolate': '-1'})
         self.assertEqual(len(cf.get('strange', 'other').split('\n')), 4)
         self.assertEqual(len(cf.get('corruption', 'value').split('\n')), 10)
         longname = 'yeah, sections can be indented as well'
@@ -997,6 +1001,7 @@
         Issue7005TestCase,
         StrictTestCase,
         CompatibleTestCase,
+        ConfigParserTestCaseNonStandardDefaultSection,
         )