Ansah breaks the silence

First Vice-President Jane Ansah appears to be crawling out of her cocoon amid a purported fallout with President Peter Mutharika.

On July 31, the former Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal judge and Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson ended the chilly month in a no-nonsense mood—distancing herself from any sentiments likely to fuel tension in the Presidency.

This was the first time for Ansah, a retired Justice of Appeal, to publicly speak out on her relationship with Mutharika since he opted for Second Vice-President Enoch Chihana to chair a Cabinet meeting  where she was absent.  She was not invited, said her spokesperson Richard Mveriwa.

The statement caps a perceived rift with the President, who handpicked her as his running mate in the September 16 2025 General Election.

Writing on her official Facebook page last week, Ansah said she commits to unity of the presidency, constitutional governance and responsibility.

“Together, let us continue to uphold the values that unite us as a nation,” she wrote, farming out a statement from her communications office disassociating her from statements and actions that “undermine unity of the presidency”.

According to Mveriwa, the First Vice-President’s office does not support or endor

se any position that is inconsistent with constitutional order or likelihood to erode the stability of the presidency.

“She [Ansah] remains fully committed to the constitutional mandate entrusted to her office and to working in support of the President of the Republic of Malawi,” he said.

The statement came barely days after Ansah was sidelined from a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chihana last Monday.

The same week, activist Sylvester Namiwa claimed in an interview with Luntha Television that Ansah might become Malawi’s President within two months unless a governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Big Five tones down on their misconception that they own the party led by Mutharika .

Ansah’s statement, however, did not specifically refer to any scenario.

Political analysts say the statement shows respect for the Constitution, but bares her cautious steps in the midst of the purported fallout with Mutharika.

Political analyst Chimwemwe Tsitsi, from Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, describes Ansah’s statement as commendable considering speculations about sour relations between her and Mutharika.

The analyst says sustained silence amid such speculations may just bring about unnecessary tension among her sympathisers and the President’s followers.

Keeping mum may also bring uncertainty among the citizenry, he warns.