Jane Ansah Biography :Early life and career,Judicial and political Career.

Jane Ansah is a Malawian lawyer, retired judge, and politician best known for her controversial tenure as the Chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) from 2016 to 2020

. Her political career has been a significant aspect of her recent activities. 

Early life and education

• Born: Jane Mayemu Ansah was born on October 11, 1955, in Nkhoma, Lilongwe District, Malawi.
• Education: She holds an LLB from the University of Malawi and earned a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in international human rights law from the University of Nottingham.
• Religion: She is a dedicated pastor with Christ Citadel. 

Judicial career

• High Court Judge: She served as a judge on Malawi’s High Court from 1998.
• First Female Attorney General: From 2006 to 2011, she was Malawi’s first female Attorney General.
• Senior Counsel: She was elevated to the status of Senior Counsel in 2008.
• Supreme Court Judge: In 2011, she was appointed as a Judge on the Supreme Court of Appeal, becoming the only female Justice of Appeal at the time. 

• Appointment: She was appointed to the role in October 2016.
• 2019 Election: After President Peter Mutharika was declared the winner of the 2019 election, citing widespread irregularities, her role sparked nationwide protests calling for her resignation.
• Nullification of Results: The Supreme Court of Appeal ultimately upheld a Constitutional Court ruling that nullified the election results, citing gross negligence by the commission.
• Resignation: Following the court’s decision, Ansah resigned in May 2020 but maintained that she did her job “truthfully with clean hands”. 

Later political activities

• Vice-Presidential Candidate: In July 2025, she was announced as the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) vice-presidential candidate, running alongside former President Peter Mutharika.
• Parliamentary Candidacy: In April 2025, she also became a DPP candidate for the National Assembly.