Elisabeth Delatour Préval

Elisabeth Débrosse Delatour Préval (born around 1962) is a Haitian businesswoman, presidential economic advisor and economist. She became the First Lady of Haiti in December 6, 2009, when she married President René Préval.

Professional and personal life Delatour is the widow of Leslie Delatour, the former governor of the Banque de la République d'Haïti, the country's central bank. She worked as an economic advisor to President René Préval before her marriage to him in December 2009. The First Lady and President both escaped the National Palace, which collapsed in the earthquake. The couple were about to enter the private, presidential living quarters in the National Palace when the earthquake struck. She reiterated that the government was still functioning, while acknowledging that there was widespread concerns about government effectiveness, especially after the collapse of major government buildings, including the National Palace. In an interview, Delatour Preval stated, "Visually, people can’t see what they used to recognize as the symbols of the state...That has generated some kind of panic. ‘Are they there or aren’t they there?’"