Ruben R. Zackhras (4 December 1947 – 26 December 2018) was a Marshallese politician. He was acting

President of the Marshall Islands The following is a list of President (government title), presidents of the Marshall Islands, since the establishment of that office in 1979. The president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands is the head of state and government of the Marshall ...

from 21 October 2009 to 26 October 2009. He previously served as Minister of Finance from 1992 to 1998. Zackhras, graduated from the

University of Guam University of Guam () (U.O.G.) is a public university, public land-grant university in Mangilao, Guam. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and offers thirty-four degree programs at the undergraduate level and ele ...

in 1971 holding a BA in Public Administration, served in Marshallese politics for 36 years and in the Nitijela from 1979 to 2015, and served as a representative of Ailinglaplap Atoll. His initial political career was combined with his role as a teacher. He was elected to the Marshallese constitutional convention in 1977. He was appointment as Minister of Transportation and Communication in 1979. From 1982 Zackhras was appointed as minister of Transportation and Communication, Interior and Outer Island Affairs, Justice and Health & Environment, until his appointment in 1989 as Minister of Finance. In the year of 2000, Zackhras was elected as deputy speaker of the Nitijela serving until 2007. Zackhras served as Minister in Assistance to former president Litokwa TomeingMarshall Islands premier ousted in confidence vote
AFP. October 21, 2009. until Tomeing was ousted in the country's first successful

vote of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

against a sitting president on 21 October 2009. The Speaker of the Nitijela, Jurelang Zedkaia, appointed Zackhras as the acting president of the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

until new presidential elections could be held. Zackhras remained acting President until 26 October 2009, when Jurelang Zedkaia was elected as President by the Nitijela. Zackhras was subsequently appointed as Minister in Assistance to the President of Jurelang Zedkaia and served until January 2012. He was appointed as the ambassador to Fiji by President

Hilda Heine Hilda Cathy Heine (born 6 April 1951) is a Marshallese educator and politician. She has served as the president of the Marshall Islands since 2024, having previously served from 2016 to 2020. Heine was the first woman to lead any sovereign count ...

, and held that position until his death. Zackhas died of cancer on 26 December 2018 in Hawaii, United States, aged 71. He was member of the United Democratic Party. Mattlan Zackhras was his son.

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