# Abdallah El-Yafi

_Lebanese politician (1901-1986)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/abdallah-el-yafi
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Abdallah El-Yafi (Arabic: عبد الله اليافي, also transliterated as Abdallah Yafi, Abdallah Bey Aref el-Yafi and other variants; 7 September 1901 – 4 November 1986) was the prime minister of Lebanon serving twelve times between 1938 and 1969.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 7 September 1901 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317580#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Beirut ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317580#P19))
- **Died:** 4 November 1986 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317580#P570))
- **Place of death:** Beirut ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317580#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Ottoman Empire; Arab Kingdom of Syria ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317580#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; lawyer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317580#P106))
- **Political party:** independent politician ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317580#P102))
- **Education:** University of Paris ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317580#P69))
- **Positions held:** Prime Minister of Lebanon (8 February 1968 – 15 January 1969); Prime Minister of Lebanon (9 April 1966 – 2 December 1966); Prime Minister of Lebanon (20 March 1956 – 16 November 1958); Prime Minister of Lebanon (1 May 1953 – 16 August 1953); Prime Minister of Lebanon (24 September 1952 – 30 September 1952); Prime Minister of Lebanon (7 April 1951 – 11 February 1952); Prime Minister of Lebanon (24 October 1938 – 21 September 1939) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317580#P39))

## About

El-Yafi is considered to be one of the most popular politicians in Lebanese 20th century history. His ethical behavior in public service is cited as an example in the official civic education high-school textbooks as well as in the graduation of law students.

El-Yafi was considered one of the principle instigators of the collapse of Intra Bank in the 1960s. He was refused a personal loan by founder Yousef Beidas and the decision not to intervene was to have drastically averse collateral impact on Lebanon's other banks, as local depositors withdrew their money to open up accounts in US banks. In addition, El-Yafi was forced to resign.

He was at the forefront of the struggle to give women the right to vote, which was achieved during the prime ministry of Khaled Chehab in 1952.

## Questions

**When was Abdallah El-Yafi born?**  
Abdallah El-Yafi was born on 7 September 1901 in Beirut.

**What positions has Abdallah El-Yafi held?**  
Positions held by Abdallah El-Yafi include: Prime Minister of Lebanon (1968–1969); Prime Minister of Lebanon (1966–1966); Prime Minister of Lebanon (1956–1958); Prime Minister of Lebanon (1953–1953); Prime Minister of Lebanon (1952–1952).

**Where did Abdallah El-Yafi study?**  
Abdallah El-Yafi was educated at University of Paris.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Abdallah El-Yafi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdallah_El-Yafi) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q317580](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317580) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Abdallah El-Yafi.jpg by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Politicspolitics (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abdallah_El-Yafi.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Abdallah El-Yafi, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Abdallah El-Yafi.jpg — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Politicspolitics, CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Abdallah El-Yafi". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/abdallah-el-yafi. Retrieved 10 November 2026.