{"id":1091,"date":"2026-11-03T05:50:16","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T05:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/?p=1091"},"modified":"2026-11-03T05:50:17","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T05:50:17","slug":"2026-elections-malek-ruben-riak-launches-campaign-pledges-major-development-push-in-rumbek-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/?p=1091","title":{"rendered":"2026 Elections: Malek Ruben Riak Launches Campaign, Pledges Major Development Push in Rumbek East"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-7.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1092\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-7.png 940w, https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-7-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-7-767x336.png 767w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Mayak Majak Madit Tokjok<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;Hon. Malek Ruben Riak, a contestant for the National Legislative Assembly representing Rumbek East Constituency No. 5 in Lakes State, has officially launched his campaign at the Boma level ahead of the December 2026 elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During his campaign rally, Riak outlined his development agenda, pledging to prioritise quality education, scholarship opportunities, improved healthcare services, access to clean drinking water and infrastructure development if elected to represent the constituency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said he would use his position in the National Assembly to lobby the national government, development partners and well-wishers to support development initiatives aimed at improving the living conditions of communities in Rumbek East County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Riak also highlighted his previous service in the military, explaining that after spending many years serving in the army, he now wished to contribute to the country through political leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He further pledged to advocate for improved telecommunications networks, road rehabilitation and other essential public services across Rumbek East County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Addressing concerns over the country&#8217;s prolonged political instability and economic difficulties, Riak emphasised that transparency, accountability and ethical leadership would form the foundation of his political agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He noted that South Sudanese citizens had endured significant economic hardships amid persistent political power struggles between the SPLM and opposition groups, which have also been accompanied by repeated political defections since 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The candidate called on fellow contestants to conduct peaceful and respectful campaigns, warning against personal attacks, defamation and political hostility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Political competition should be conducted in a smart and respectful manner without undermining or insulting other candidates. We should not allow this political season to divide us, especially when some of the contestants are our relatives, friends and members of the same communities,&#8221; Riak said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He further stressed that political competition should be based on leadership capabilities, development agendas and the ability to serve the public rather than personal differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Riak also recalled the SPLM&#8217;s historical struggle for self-determination, arguing that the achievement of independence should translate into equitable access to public services for all citizens, without discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Mrs. Awau Agok Machol, the women&#8217;s representative, highlighted the challenges facing communities in Lakes State, particularly the prolonged dry spell that has negatively affected agricultural production and household food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She called on elected representatives to demonstrate commitment by lobbying humanitarian organisations and development partners to provide food assistance and other essential support to vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Machol also urged women to make informed decisions when choosing their political representatives, emphasising that voting should be based on candidates&#8217; leadership abilities, commitment and capacity to deliver development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Women should not vote for a candidate simply because of party affiliation. We must carefully assess the capabilities, commitment and leadership qualities of every candidate before making our decisions,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rally attracted hundreds of residents from Cueicok and the greater Aliamtoc area, who gathered to listen to the candidate&#8217;s political message and development commitments ahead of the December 2026 elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Hon. Malek Ruben Riak, a contestant for the National Legislative Assembly representing Rumbek East Constituency No. 5 in Lakes State, has officially launched his campaign at the Boma level ahead of the December 2026 elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tdlc_coverage_id":0,"_tdlc_timeline_at":"","_tdlc_timeline_label":"","_tdno_assigned_editor":1,"_tdno_approval_notes":"","_thedawn_video_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,49],"tags":[48],"class_list":["post-1091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-election","category-news","tag-election"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>2026 Elections: Malek Ruben Riak Launches Campaign, Pledges Major Development Push in Rumbek East - The Dawn Newspaper<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/?p=1091\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2026 Elections: Malek Ruben Riak Launches Campaign, Pledges Major Development Push in Rumbek East - The Dawn Newspaper\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hon. Malek Ruben Riak, a contestant for the National Legislative Assembly representing Rumbek East Constituency No. 5 in Lakes State, has officially launched his campaign at the Boma level ahead of the December 2026 elections.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/?p=1091\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Dawn Newspaper\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-03T05:50:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-11-03T05:50:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thedawn.com.ss\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/image-7.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"412\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Dawn Newspaper\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Dawn Newspaper\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedawn.com.ss\\\/?p=1091#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedawn.com.ss\\\/?p=1091\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Dawn Newspaper\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedawn.com.ss\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/96167766e6227ace98d717e62c175309\"},\"headline\":\"2026 Elections: Malek Ruben Riak Launches Campaign, Pledges Major Development Push in Rumbek East\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-03T05:50:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-03T05:50:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedawn.com.ss\\\/?p=1091\"},\"wordCount\":499,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedawn.com.ss\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedawn.com.ss\\\/?p=1091#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedawn.com.ss\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/image-7.png\",\"keywords\":[\"election\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Election\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thedawn.com.ss\\\/?p=1091#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedawn.com.ss\\\/?p=1091\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thedawn.com.ss\\\/?p=1091\",\"name\":\"2026 Elections: Malek Ruben Riak Launches Campaign, Pledges Major Development Push in Rumbek East - 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